Hidden In the Blackness
by fersuremaybefersurenot98
Summary: When Benny loses an important family heirloom, he and Ethan go on a search for it. Ethan is attacked, and soon after begins to develop supernatural abilities. Not even he knows what happened that night. Somethings been set in motion, but what? BxE SLASH
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Shocking Family History and Fear of the Dark

**WARNING:** This story is "M" rated. This story will have an Ethan/Benny pairing. This story's plot is already decided. Sorry to all the haters out there.

**AN: Well, here's Chapter One of 'Hidden in the Blackness' XD I hope you (whoever's reading this) likes it. I should have more MBSAV stories up, but I don't know how soon. This is a SLASH story peeps. So, please, don't hate and just GTFO if ya don't like. Sorry if I disappointed anyone. As for my other stories, I have serious writers block guys :/ sowwie, but I'll try to have more up soon**

**xoxoxoxoxox**

"Ughhh, come on Benny!" Ethan whined and looked glumly out the foggy window into the woods. Benny was already shoving his jacket on and heading out the door.

"No, _you_ come on, Ethan, I have to find the arrow I lost yesterday, or grandma will _kill_ me." He poked his head back in, worry in his eyes. "Then she'll revive me, and kill me again!"

"Benny!" Ethan called after his best friend as he headed towards the trees behind his house. "UGH." he quickly searched for a sweater or coat, but decided against it as Benny was disappearing from sight already, into the thick of the woods. He ran outside in just his shirt and was met with wet, cool air, making him shiver.

"Benny! Wait up!" he ran after the taller boy. He noticed he had a messenger bag strapped to his side, and briefly wondered why.

"Dude! I have to find that wooden silver arrow." He let out a throaty whine. "I didn't mean to fire that crossbow, _dang it_!" he fell to his knees and searched frantically along the ground, sweeping his hands through the grass and twigs. "Gotta find it, gotta find it, gotta find it…" he would mutter about every ten seconds. "Grandma's so gonna kill me." He glanced at Ethan, a crazy look in his dark eyes. "She'll gut me then sew me back into it!"

"Benny, its okay." Ethan said, alarmed as Benny began tugging on his glistening dark curls. It had started to drizzle, and the air was tinted whitish with mist. "We'll find the arrow, okay? Don't freak yourself out, you're gonna freak me out."

After a while, Benny's breathing slowed to relatively normal, if not a little strained and he slumped against Ethan. "Okay…" He took a deep, calming breath. "Okay."

Ethan, who had thrown one arm around Benny to steady him, let him go, and rubbed his slippery arms. "If you don't mind me asking, what's so important about this silver arrow anyway?" Ethan asked as he began to search the ground about a yard from Benny.

"The arrow…well it's a heirloom really. One of my Great Uncles….Samuel I think, was a werewolf…like a _real_ werewolf apparently." He looked at the shorter brunet, who wore a disbelieving look. "Like I said, _apparently_, I'm not too sure I believe it myself. Anyway, that wooden silver arrow had supposedly killed him…that very one. It's been in the family for generations." Benny explained as he began crawling around the wet grass, soaking his pants legs.

"Why would your family want to keep your Great Uncle's murder weapon?" Ethan asked, kind of appalled at the idea.

"My Aunt Rebecca was there when he was shot…she was a spellmaster too. She vowed that one day Samuel's murderer would be killed with the wooden-silver arrow, like he was." Benny answered easily.

"Why do you keep saying 'wooden silver' arrow?" Ethan asked, confused and kind of irritated at himself for being so slow.

"The arrow isn't just one solid metal or material, its half wood and half silver. It was specifically designed to kill vampires and werewolves. White Ash wood and untainted silver were woven into an arrow for a crossbow…one of few ultimate weapons against the supernatural." Benny shuddered. "And it gets worse."

"How could that get any worse than it already is?" Ethan asked, and saw anger in Benny's eyes. Benny bit his lip.

"Samuel's killer was Jesse." Ethan wasn't processing what he was hearing. Weather it was from the cold or the thought of Jesse killing his best friends' great uncle, Ethan didn't know. "And now I lost it." He said, and threw down his messenger bag angrily.

"It's not your fault, you said it was an accident." Ethan finally forced out, trying to comfort his best friend.

"It doesn't change the fact that I'm the reason it's gone." Benny said with a sad look on his face and in his eyes. Ethan also heard shame and embarrassment seeping into his voice as he went on. "I'm such a disappointment. I'm stupid. I can never do anything the right way." He drew his knees to his chest. When he spoke again his voice broke slightly.

"I screw everything up…"

Ethan frowned, and plopped down next to his sulky friend. He put an arm around Benny comfortingly, yet a little awkwardly. He wasn't used to this kind of thing.

"You don't mess everything up Benny. You make everything better for me. You've always been there for me, even when things got really rough." He shook Benny's shoulders a little. "I'm gonna be here for you, okay? We'll find it, and everything'll be okay." Ethan did his best to reassure him.

After a minute or two, Benny calmed down, and thanked Ethan, giving him a one-armed hug. Though the hug was awkward, it was warm and comforting to both boys. Then they pulled back, and grinned at each other. Best friends.

**(That Night, 11:17pm)**

Ethan walked briskly into the cold, thick air of the woods for the second time that day, and flicked on his flashlight."It's gotta be around here somewhere." He muttered to himself, and bent over to inspect the ground around him. He ran his fingers through the leaves fluttering on the ground and through thick patches of grass and weeds.

There was hardly any light besides the flashlight in his hand. There was a streetlight in the front of his house, bathing the front yard and shed in an orangish glow, and a light on his back porch, illuminating the back of his house and the steps.

Still, it was cloudy out, foggy even, and Ethan wondered why the light didn't reflect off of the clouds as it normally did. It made things even harder for him to see. _'Could this get any creepier?' _He thought, slouching over and began searching again. As if on cue, the orange tinted streetlight shut off, and the darkness suddenly fell darker. He looked disbelievingly at the now black street and at the back of his house.

"No," he muttered, frightened and incredulous as his backyard and house was thrust into darkness. _Clink_. The yard light had burned out. Ethan was frozen in fear. He panicked, because really, what else could he do? His body involuntarily jerked towards the direction of his house, but he forced himself to stop. It took all his will power not to bolt for his house, screaming bloody murder.

He let himself sink to the ground with shaky legs, bumping into a tree, and having to muffle a shriek. He was just freaking himself out more.

'_Benny's out here.'_ He thought, trying to self sooth, and the thought did bring him a little comfort. 'If Benny's out here in this blackness, I can be too.' Then he pulled himself up and it suddenly seemed like the most difficult task in the world. He stumbled farther into the woods, his small flashlight guiding him, literally nowhere. He was looking for the silver arrow.

Ethan didn't know how far he went, but it felt like he'd been walking for at the very, very least, a half an hour, maybe forty five minutes. The whole time he shook with chills and fear. It had started to rain, and Ethan cursed himself for not wearing his raincoat, which he had originally planned.

Instead, he wore a hoodie, a loose red shirt, grey sweatpants, and sneakers. _'Is this attire you would wear in the woods?'_ he thought, stressed. His shoes-no everything he was wearing was soaked through with rainwater. All the extra weight was slowing him down, and making the search more difficult, and a lot more tiring,

He moaned, and slouched over on the ground. It had been about fifteen minutes since his last talk with Benny, who was about a mile away from him, and deeper into the woods, since he'd gotten an early start.

'_I'm never gonna find that arrow!'_ he whined mentally.

'_It's not all bad.'_ Another part of his conscience argued.

'_Who am I kidding? Everything is all bad! Can it get any worse?'_ Ethan pulled himself off the ground with a grunt.

'_At least I'm not afraid of the dark anymore._' He thought triumphantly. _'Ha! I got over it!'_ His foot caught on a root sticking out of the ground, and he fell. As he tripped in a struggle to regain his balance, his arms flailed and his flashlight smacked against a tree, creating a dull metallic 'clank'.

He heard the thing bust, and saw a flash of silver in the newly returned darkness, as the batteries flew out. Where? Ethan didn't know. _'Oh god.'_ Ethan thought, his fears of the darkness returning full force. _'Don't panic. Don't panic. Don't panic. Don't panic. Don't panic.'_ Ethan told himself over and over, trying not to have a panic attack. His fingers closed over a battery near him.

His hands flew over the ground, desperately trying to find any hint of the smoothness and hardness of the other battery. '_Don't panic. Don't panic. Don't panic. Don't panic. Don't-'_

_CRACK._

'_I'm gonna DIE!'_ Ethan mentally screamed, and dropped the battery, to clamp his hands over his mouth. _'What was that?'_ He stood up, faster than he ever had before, and swung around frantically, trying to see what had made that noise.

He was sure he heard a branch snap. He was very sure it was a big branch. He couldn't tell where it had come from, but he knew it was close.

A deep, throaty growl sounded from somewhere in front of him. Ethan couldn't move. Images flashed through his mind, terrible, nightmarish images, that nearly caused him to scream. Flesh-eating zombies. Hellhounds. Monsters from the pits of hell. Bat-like creatures. Every monster from every horror movie he' ever seen. Mythical but living creatures. Lizard-men. Earthborn. Kitsune. Shapeshifters. Dragons. Hybrids. Giants. Trolls.

He shook in his sneakers, unable to decide which frightened him more at that moment. His hand went to his hoodie pocket, closing not-so-reassuringly around his cell phone. As he turned back and forth, he saw a flash of green. He whirled to where he'd seen it, but only had enough time to see to glowing orbs disappear.

He knew someone was there. Someone or _something_. He could feel it. It was powerful, and the wet air seemed thicker, seemed to vibrate. He leaned closer, squinting in the blackness and mist. His fingers ghosted over the speed dial #1 button. Benny, who was possibly the only one who could bring any sort of comfort to him right then.

The orbs appeared again, about two yards away from where Ethan was standing, glowing a toxic, radiating green. It took Ethan a few seconds to realize they weren't orbs…they were circles. A moment later he realized they were _eyes_. Below the eyes, he saw something white enough to shine even in the darkness.

Teeth.

This was Ethan's undoing. He dropped his cell phone, and ran like hell in the opposite direction, unknowingly deeper into the woods. The night-cloaked figure grinned and set off in a steady pace, following Ethan.

'_He'll tire soon enough'_ the unknown thought, grinning.

Unheard by Ethan, already a quarter of a mile away, his cell phone rang, lying in the damp grass. Ethan didn't hear how grandma Weir had found Benny's bed empty during the night, and used a location spell to find him. Ethan didn't hear Benny when he said they should call it a night, and he would see him the next day.

Ethan tumbled down a hill, getting tangled in various plants and weeds. His eyes widened as a dark shape dropped in front of him, approaching slowly. Before he passed out of fear and exhaustion, Ethan could've sworn he seen an outline of a big fluffy tail wagging back and forth, and big, furry ears against the sky, lit by white lightning.

**AN: What'd ya think? XD I personally think this is a kick-ass first chapter. Lol what'd you think? This story WILL continue even if I get crap reviews or none at all. Byezz**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two: Waking Up

**WARNING:** This story is rated 'M'. This story will have an Ethan/Benny pairing. This is a SLASH story. Everything's been decided.

**AN: Crap title, I know. Here's Chapter Two, LIKE IT or I will send my evil vampire ninja bunnies to eat you in your sleep! MUAHAHAHAHA! On with the story. **

**xoxoxoxoxoxooxoxox**

Benny groaned and rubbed his eyes as he skimmed over yet another mythology textbook. Then another. And another. Three more. There were only so many mythology books in the local library. Grandma had maybe ten, because really, you didn't know what was waiting for you once you stepped outside, but she wouldn't let him look. She would take care of this one herself, she'd said.

He then switched to the computer, where he sat for an hour, eyes burning, and body aching for sleep, reading over various descriptions of mythical creatures. He couldn't find one that matched…well the only evidence it'd left behind is the gory state it had left Ethan in the woods that night.

That had been three days ago. Grandma didn't want anyone to know just yet. First of all, they couldn't explain anything. Secondly, Ethan's parents would have heart attacks. Thirdly…they didn't know what had attacked Ethan. They didn't know if it had injected any sort of venom or poison into him. Didn't know if the hospital would be able to cure him…what if there had been something there that had never been seen before? They couldn't take any chances.

Benny's head tilted forward as he neared sleep.

_Grandma Weir turned towards Benny, and the expression on her face scared him. It was fear. Possibly not for herself, but Benny had never known anything that his grandma couldn't handle. It must've been something bad. _

"_Where's Ethan?" She asked breathlessly._

"_What?" Benny asked, slightly shocked, he hadn't told her that Ethan was out there too. _

"_Benjamin Weir." She took his arms and shook him. "Where is he?" She asked, her voice louder, and quivering. "Tell me he's at home! Tell me he's not out there!" Benny stuttered out that Ethan had been looking too, and the last time he'd called him, he'd told Ethan to head home and call it a night. His Grandma had never spoken to him like this before, never acted this way, never so fearfully. She immediately started to pull on a raincoat, with boots and an umbrella. _

Benny's head shot up, and he leaned his head on his hand, facing the computer screen. Despite his efforts to stay awake, his eyes slid closed.

"_Grandma?" Benny asked, as she stated to grab flashlights. She went down the hallway to the attic door, and climbed the stairs, going over to a box. Benny followed. "Grandma! What's going on?" He saw her pull out several medallions, placing two around Benny's neck, and two more into his pocket, as well as a handful of various dried plants. Benny recognized them as ancient charms, symbols and herbs used to ward off evil._

"_Dark magic is at work here. Evil creatures lurk in the woods tonight." She led him out of the house, into the woods, murmuring protection incantations. "Ethan's in trouble."_

He jerked awake once again, letting out a frustrated grunt as he tried to focus his uncooperative eyes on the glow of the computer screen. His head slipped from his hand down to the keyboard.

_Benny led Grandma to where he'd been searching, and told her where Ethan had been. They headed that way to start looking for him. "What do they want?" He asked again. She'd said more than once that creatures of the dark sort had been here. She didn't know what for, but she could feel something. Something very powerful…or maybe it was several creatures causing the energy level to rise in the forest._

"_I don't know. They could be here for a lot of things. There are so many ancient spells and charms put on this land. Some stretching back before Whitechapel was even a town. So many magical items were buried and not recovered. Plus the fact that Samuel's arrow is now lost somewhere, anything could have drew them here." She steadied Benny as he stumbled over a boulder. "But why? Why come now?"_

_She handed her grandson one of her flashlights and looked him in the eyes. "I'd hate to tell you this Benny…but chances are that Ethan didn't simply ignore your phone call. It's likely that he didn't make it home tonight." Benny froze. "were going to have to split up, honey." She took his free hand in both of hers."If you happen to find Ethan, call me on your cell phone. I have mine here. I'll be able to find you after that." _

Benny moaned, and his head lifted briefly from the hard wood of his computer table, before settling back down.

_Benny stumbled down a little hill, and shined his flashlight around him in a circle, but it was hard to see anything how hard the white mist was coming down. He gasped as his flashlight shined over a small silver battery. About a foot from that was the other one, and a few feet from those was the small black flashlight Ethan must have brought along._

_He pocketed them, and kept moving in the direction. He called his grandma, and lucky for him she answered on the first ring. "Grandma! I found Ethan's flashlight, so I'm gonna head in the direction they were scattered. Are you gonna-woah!" His foot slipped on something, and he caught himself, clutching one of the low branches of a tree near him._

_Ethan's cell phone._

Benny sat up, and shook his head, leaning back in his chair, now desperately trying to stay awake. He didn't want to see anymore.

"_Grandma it's Ethan's cell phone!" Benny nearly shouted. "He never goes anywhere without it! Especially out in the woods. He couldn't have just left-" he was cut off by a piercing scream, accompanied by a loud roar in the distance. Benny snapped his cell phone shut, and raced toward where the sounds had came from, even though they had sounded far away._

_Benny wasn't too fond of being alone, out in the dark in the woods by himself at night either, but fears didn't matter right now. He didn't care that something could just reach out and grab him. He didn't care that he was heading toward the ferocious roar. He cared that his best friend had just let out a very loud, very scared, and very pained scream. And he was going to help him._

The scenes from that night in the woods came faster now, making Benny clutch his head and ears in his sleep. Benny racing to where Ethan lie, bloody and hurt, and whimpering unconsciously…Benny, not bothering to count his best friends injuries, but wrapping his soaked sweater around the wound on the lower part of Ethan's thigh, where blood was gushing forth like water from a hose….Benny trying to carry Ethan as carefully as he could back to his house…Grandma meeting up with him, and wrapping Ethan in her raincoat….Arriving at the house where they lied the injured boy on the table to clean and bandage his wounds.

And of course the crying afterwards. Benny hadn't been so scared in his life. He felt his eyes sting with the threat of ears even now. Then he realized he was crying, and quickly wiped he tears away, burying his face in his hands, and sniffling before standing up and going over to his grandma's room.

There was Ethan, lying on her bed, (she'd been sleeping in the guest room downstairs since the night it happened) and it was kind of a painful sight. He thought anyone seeing their best friend in the sate Ethan was would feel the same, cold and hurt. It scared and saddened Benny. He went over and lied on the other side of the bed, as far as he could, hoping not to hurt him. But he knew he couldn't sleep peacefully if he didn't see that Ethan was there…with him and grandma. Safe. As he drifted to sleep, he promised himself that he wouldn't let anyone hurt his best friend like this again.

**XOXOXOXOXOXOXOX**

When Ethan woke up, he was perfectly confused.

First, when he looked down at himself after discovering it was hard to move his body, he looked like he'd been sent to the hospital after going through a really big paper shredder…or being scraped on the world's biggest cheese grater. His left arm was in a sling, his lower thigh on the right side was wrapped in an inch-thick cast of gauze, his left ankle was in a brace, and his abdomen was covered in a thick bandage that went all the way around his back then back to the front several times.

In addition, there were many stick-on bandages in various sizes everywhere, and he counted fifteen, visible, normal sized band-aids. It was all very uncomfortable, and he was sweating like a wild animal. That wasn't all. Oh, that wasn't all there was to be weirded out about. A humidifier was on the bedside table, and the window had been blocked off with paper bags, allowing no sunlight to seep in.

Then there was Benny, lying on the same bed, though on the other side. He was in a stretchy-elasticy blue shirt, and plaid pajama pants. He also looked like he'd been there a while, with his bed-head and wrinkled, twisted clothes.

He tried to sit up, unsuccessfully as the extra weight and pillows held him down. He leant back, and whined at the ceiling, before closing his eyes, and tried again. Ethan grunted as he sat up in the large, too-soft bed. As said before, there had been pillows all around him, in every size and shape, under his head, supposedly injured leg, arm, and lower back. He stretched, wincing at the soreness of his muscles, and swung both legs over the side of the bed, steeping onto the tan carpet of the room. He immediately felt pain flare up in his body, mostly in his abdomen, around his lower stomach. He groaned and leaned against the wall, determined not to fall.

He wobbled his way to the door in his ridiculous hospital getup, and shoved it open before making his way to the bathroom. When he looked in the mirror, he groaned again. He looked like walking death, or in his case, staggering death.

Ethan slowly unwound a long piece of gauze from his upper arm, and his eyebrows drew together when he saw the bandage was stained red…but his skin was smooth and woundless. More bandages off….more stains….no wounds. By his fourth bandage and no cuts or welts to be found, he was convinced this was some practical joke, even if he didn't understand why.

He tore off the band-aids and wraps of gauze and plaster and bandages. Each time, no broken skin, nothing to cause the blood stains on the bandages. When he removed his ankle from the brace it felt just fine. When he took his leg out of the wrap, there was nothing but a small throbbing pain, barely there. His arm was in perfect condition. He threw the last of the band-aids down with a grunt, and sighed as he looked down at his body, sweaty from his time in the humid room and the basically full-body cast.

He removed his plain red shorts and boxers, the only clothing on his body, and quickly stepped into the shower, sighing as the lukewarm water soothed his burning body. He felt better in minutes. When he got out, he winced a the slight aching pain in his body, and dried off before heading to Benny's room to grab some of his clothes. Yes, his, as in Benny's clothes. He grabbed a pair of boxers, jeans and a shirt from Benny's dresser. They shared clothes all the time, and he figured Benny wouldn't mind. He headed to the kitchen, because honestly, he was starving, and his throat was so dry he thought it could crack at any second.

He was surprised to find the kitchen in an uproar. Benny, still in pajama bottoms and a loose t-shirt, and Grandma, in red pajama bottoms and a long sleeved white top, were running around the kitchen, throwing herbs and animal skins and other parts as well as other potions into various pots. They were also shouting to each other over the bubbling and whistling of the pots and kettles, and they seemed to be worried about something from the sounds of their voices. It was then that Ethan discovered what they were worrying about was _him_.

"I was lying right there! I woke up at eight thirty because of a head ache and lied back down, and he was there! I swear it!" Benny said hurrying around the kitchen to the other side of the long table with a cactus planter.

"I would've heard if something tried to take him again! Grandma stirred quickly, glancing at her watch. "Senna and Cody should be back by now." She added anxiously.

"I need to go look for him!" Benny said, unknotting and throwing his apron down. "I can't loose him again!"

"I sense there's no immediate danger to Ethan. I've studied his individual energy, he's not being harmed. You've already looked once today Benny. Let us take care of this." Grandma said sternly.

"Let you take care of this? Ethan's my best friend, and-wait." He looked at his grandmother strangely. "You were in the shower when I was looking for Ethan." Benny said, and it was Grandma who looked at him strangely.

"I showered last night." She said, looking at him fully. "I was here, preparing a healing potion when you stormed out of the house." Both of their eyebrows drew together, and it looked like Grandma was about to say something else, when the door opened.

Two people walked in, one was a woman, who looked about twenty years old, with blonde hair, and light blue eyes. The other, a man, looked to be about twenty years old as well, and had long black hair that brushed his shoulders. Both had anxious looks on their faces. The woman clutched what looked like a miniature laptop case, and a folded piece of leather in her hands. The man carried a backpack on his shoulder, and a large wooden box that he carried carefully with both hands. Ethan pieced together that these people must be Senna and Cody.

"No sign of him." Senna said, and placed the leather and mini laptop case on a free spot on the table. She took her plain red hoodie off and hung it on a line of hooks by the door. "But we did find some…interesting things." She said, and turned his way. He ducked behind the corner of wall where he'd been standing, and it occurred to him that he should probably tell them he was there. Bu he wanted to know why he'd woken up in bed dressed as an Egyptian mummy. Lucky for him, when he looked back, they were all facing the other way.

"We found these a few yards from where you showed us you found Ethan's flashlight." Senna continued as she held up an iPad. The screen showed a picture of an imprint of a shoe on the muddy ground. Ethan's eyebrow drew together, and he leaned closer for a look. "But I also found these." She switched the picture, to another shoe print in the mud, only different than the first. "Logic suggests that _one_ of these has to be Ethan's shoe print." Grandma studied the picture, then turned to Senna,

"But….that doesn't make sense. The other one doesn't match up." She said, confused. "Unless Ethan wasn't the only one out there that night…if anyone else was out there before him, it would've washed away in the rain."

"That's right." Senna said, and the man, Cody, opened the wooden box to carefully pull out two thick pieces of what looked like mud.

"We were hoping we could take a look at Ethan and Benny's shoes to see if it was them who left these." Benny went to the door, and grabbed his and Ethan's shoes, comparing them to the prints on the mud chunks.

"Those aren't mine." He said, as he looked nervously.

"Someone else had to have been out there then." Cody said, and put the mud prints back into the box. Senna switched the picture, to a section of the forest where it looked like a battle had taken place. The tree's were broken and the grass and plants were uprooted, one tree, and a part of the ground was even charred.

"This was about a half mile away from where we found the shoe prints." She said, and Cody went over to the piece of brown leather, unfolding it. When he brought the piece of leather to the middle of the room, Ethan saw a lock of long, rust colored hair….or fur. When images flashed through his mind, quick, terrifying mental pictures, he gasped and stumbled backwards, bringing himself to the attention of the others in the kitchen.

**AN: Well, he's Chapter Two of 'Hidden in the Blackness'. I would've updated sooner, but the internet was being a bitch, and you know how that goes. Sorry for any mistakes, but…I don't think there are any, lol. This was sort of a fill-in chapter or whatever you wanna call it, the real action starts within the next couple chapters. I haven't started Chapter Three yet, but know what's gonna happen, so it should be up soon. XD So bare with me. What did you think? Drop me a review!**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three: WTF Recovery and New Friends?

**WARNING:** This story is Rated "M". This story is SLASH, this story has an EthanxBenny pairing. Don't like? Well too damn bad, sweethearts, there is no talking me out of the plot.

**AN: OMGEEE guys, I really am sorry Dx I haven't updated in over a year! So long, I had to go back and re-read the story myself! That was bad…..but no, I haven't forgotten about any of my stories, and yes, I'm here now. I really love this story and plot I've created, and I WILL try to update more. Again, I really am sorry! I hate when authors do this to me and I hate myself for doing this to you. Ok, ok, I'll stop rambling now…on with the chapter! **

**XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO**

"As I was saying, before I was so rudely interrupted-" Senna said with a small, playful smile, "-the fur…." She studied it again. "..doesn't really look like bear fur….or any sort of cat fur. If I didn't know any better, I'd say it was some type of dog fur."

"How do you know it isn't?" Benny asked from his spot on the couch next to Ethan. The young spellmaster's entire frame seemed to vibrate, his movements stiff and jerky and jittery. Yet, a strong arm remained around Ethan as they sat side-by-side on Grandma's couch.

"It was nine feet up an oak." Cody said, getting up and placing the fur into a clear plastic bag. Ethan's eyebrows frowned, Benny's eyes widened, and Grandma's eyebrows shot up.

"It was..nine feet up an oak tree." Ethan said slowly. "And you found it?"

Cody winked. "I'm gifted." Senna rolled her eyes, turning to Ethan with a slight, confused smile. It had been ten minutes since they'd 'found' him in Evelyn's living room (rather he found them) but the sight of him still stunned her. He was so different from the way he had been only hours before.

"So, are you ever going to tell us how you…" She trailed off, seemingly at a loss for words. "-recovered so quickly?" She finished. "Just three days ago, you were-" she cut off again, and let out a puff of air, speechless again.

"You were pretty banged up, kid." Cody finished, and frowned. "Benny said you were freezing when he first found you." He fiddled around with a button on his shirt. "You're lucky Grandma has connections at the hospital. You needed a lot of blood transfusions."

"I did?" Ethan asked.

"You lost over fifty percent of your blood." He continued.

"I did?"

"Up until this morning you had a fever of 103.8."

"I did?" Ethan was becoming more confused, more frightened with each new piece of information he received.

"Was someone in the house other than you two?" Senna suddenly asked. Grandma looked startled for a moment as she thought over it.

"No…but what would that have to do with anything?" Cody asked another question, ignoring Grandma's.

"There are no other magical families around? None that you know of..? No…sorcerers, witches or succubi? Nothing besides your little fanged friends?" Cody asked.

"No, no and no. Once again, I ask, why is this important?" Grandma asked. "No one has tried to directly hurt my boys. Well….they've never been personally targeted by anyone but Jesse." Ethan didn't understand how these people seemed to know all about their lives. But they didn't seem surprised by anything, seemed to know what everything was and who everyone is.

"You never know." He shrugged. "Anyone, even people who look regular could be a threat." At the slightly amused look Grandma gave him he laughed. "I'm not asking you to become paranoid. That wouldn't help anything would it? All I'm saying is…you know, keep on your toes. Be safe and take extra precautions."

"I have to agree with him on that." Senna said. "It's best to keep safe, in places like these especially. For centuries this town's sheltered vampires, werewolves, witches, sorcerers and other monstrosities I don't wish to name." she surveyed Ethan's physical state. "I don't know what it was that attacked Ethan, but it had to be something very strong and very magically powerful." She looked at first Grandma, then Cody for a second opinion. His eyes were blank and had a sort of sadness to them.

"To me, it seems that there's no question. Something strong and powerful did this to him….something very strong and especially powerful." He grimaced. "When I first saw Ethan, my initial thought was 'bear attack'. But I noticed something else." He turned to Grandma. "Did you also notice something wrong besides his physical injuries?"

Grandma hesitated.

"Did you notice something of about the woods that night?" he continued and Grandma looked at him, studying his face.

"How did you know about that?" she asked. "It was gone the next day…" she trailed off, and Cody gave her a slight, reassuring smile to calm her. Senna, who had disappeared for part of the conversation, came from the kitchen with a cup of steaming green liquid.

"The power would've been gone the next day." He agreed. "But as you well know, evil magic leaves traces. I'm not a priest or spell master or seer or warlock, but I am psychic, which is evidently different from a seer. " He glanced over at Ethan. "One of the traits I've inherited… I've made it my business to know when evil crosses my path." He looked kind of angry.

"Cody! You never told me you were psychic!" Grandma was smiling now. "Your mother never told me! I don't think she knew. We were afraid you'd grow up normal!" She laughed, and the sound soothed the nerves of everyone in the room. Cody rearranged his features into a smile, and forced a laugh.

"I don't think she knew either. She wasn't there when I first discovered it, and I just never got around to telling her." He rubbed the back of his neck. "Anyway, that's how I knew about that." Senna handed the steaming cup to Grandma, who murmured a 'thank you' and sipped it. Cody turned to Ethan.

"Can I talk to you for a moment…outside?" he glanced at Grandma. "Don't worry Granny, we'll be safe enough with Skeeter out there." She nodded and smiled tiredly. Cody glanced at Benny. "We'll be right back superstar. Give us five minutes." Benny looked as if he was about to protest when Cody helped Ethan out of Benny's protective grasp and to the door.

"Just don't be too long, Cody!" Grandma called after them. "I want to check Ethan over one last time before we head to the bank."

"You got it!" Cody called back, opening and holding the door open for Ethan.

"Who's Skeeter?" Ethan blurted out, and jumped when he heard the booming sound of a dogs barking. They stepped onto the porch, and looking to his left, he saw a four foot, pure black dog rounding the corner of Grandma Weir's house.

"That's Skeeter." Cody said fondly. "My Great Dane."

"Oh." Ethan turned pale. "Okay."

"Ah, don't worry, he's a big sweetheart aren't you Skeeter?" He asked, and Skeeter barked again, making a big circle around them, sniffing the ground, seemingly randomly. They started to walk to the back of the house, Ethan following Cody, who stopped them when they reached where the backyard met the woods. It was sunny out, and Ethan could see clearly through the trees for a long distance.

"So, Ethan, your physical well-being seems fine, though you mentioned some soreness in your abdomen….nonetheless, can you guess what I saw in you when I first saw you? I'll tell ya, you were pretty painful to look at, what with all your casts and bandages and bruises and all that blood." Ethan blinked, surprised, and rather fearful.

"I was sure that was a joke…" Ethan forced out, eyes wide. "When I took all the bandages off…there was nothing, only the stains. There was nothing at all." His voice started to fail him.

"We'll get answers for you, Ethan." Cody reassured, placing a hand on the teen's shoulder and giving a gentle squeeze. "You're definitely not the only one who's confused about all of this. We didn't know what to think when you were found in the state you were…" He trailed off, seeming far away for a second before continuing. "Yet, that wasn't what scared me." Ethan glanced at the tall man beside him.

"Uuuumm."Cody didn't seem to mind the dumb answer Ethan gave.

"Tell me, what does your cellphone do, when the battery is running low?" Cody asked as he sat on the dry grass, and invited Ethan to sit across from him. Ethan sat rather stiffly, picking at the grass in front of him for a moment, before jumping slightly as the large dog a few feet away lurched forward. Ethan was pleasantly surprised when he felt the dog's warm, strong body almost wrap around him from his back to the sides of his waist. Skeeter's large head was in his lap, his feet touching his leg on the other side.

"It starts giving me warnings, and the lights go dimmer." He said, and stroked the large head of the bloodhound in his lap.

"And what does it do after about ten or fifteen minutes of a low battery?" Ethan frowned, not seeing where the random talk about cellphones had come from. He answered anyway.

"It dies."

"Okay. So where does a cellphone's power come from?" Cody asked, pulling pieces of grass apart.

"That battery, of course. You need to charge the battery."

"Of course, and what happens to the screen and keys and color eventually, after using it for a long period of time?" he asked, yet another cellphone question.

"The buttons numbers rub off a little, and the color of it fades….and the screen gets scratched up, I guess." That's what had happened to his other flip phone after years of usage.

"But it still worked?"

"Yeah."

"Okay. So, when I first saw you…besides the injuries and things…..to me, it seemed like you were an old cell phone running on a low battery." He said, and picked up a rock, turning it over and over with long fingers. Ethan processed what he' just heard, and realized what the senseless talk of technology was for.

"Okay…." Ethan turned towards Cody, giving the older male his full attention. "I get it…..but I don't get it." He said helplessly, and the corners of Cody's mouth lifted in a smile.

"Well…you were wounded and scratched and bruised. Those would be the scratches and faded buttons on a cell phone. As for the low battery…well, at certain times, I can see more than just the physical state of people." He said. "Tell me, what would be your battery Ethan? And it's more than your internal organs." He grinned, flashing a set of white teeth.

"My soul." Ethan answered instantly, and surprised even himself.

"That's right. Your spiritual energy was running low. I think, just like a cell phone, the energy ran low because someone used it up, took it." He looked at Ethan intently. "I have no doubt in my mind that no _just_ animal could've done that to you. It wasn't just your exterior that was marred Ethan." He said, and absently grasped the younger boy's shoulder comfortingly. "But you're healing. Your healing rate, and spiritual energy strength has gone up…way up. In fact, shockingly, I'd say you've been healed by god himself."

"I don't get it." Was he only way Ethan could respond and Cody just smiled, shaking his head. He stood up and offered Ethan a hand.

"I don't really get it either, E."

**AN: Okay, so maybe this chapter wasn't too long, and maybe there wasn't enough Benny, but Chapter Four is already in progress! How was it? Not too bad, hopefully. Sorry for the short-ness of this…the next one will be longer! Also, the next one will have more Benny! Yaayyy! Drop me a review!**

**BTW: It's 3:19am on a school night and I'm uploading this. FEEL THE LOVE. **


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four: Something Strange

_**WARNING: **_This story is "M" rated, and will take a turn for explicitly in the future. This is a slash story, meaning if you don't like boy/boy you should probably run away with your tail between your legs, because it's been decided.

**XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX**

"So, who are these friends?" Samantha Morgan asked from her seat at the kitchen table. "Anyone we know?"

"I don't think so." Ethan replied, placing a dirty plate into the dishwasher. "Grandma says their distant family of hers." This was half-true.

"Hmm...what are they like?" She sipped from her mug of steaming coffee, momentarily taking her eyes off of the newspaper in her other hand. Ethan finished loading the dishwasher and started the cycle.

"They seem nice enough, I guess. Their names are Cody and Senna...something." Ethan couldn't remember either of their last names. "A man and a woman...their not married, or anything, and their both in their early twenties. And the guy had a Great Dane named Skeeter." He opened the fridge, looking for something to drink.

"Well, honey, if Grandma wants to take you out today, you shouldn't be rummaging through the fridge." She flipped a page. "You'll ruin your appetite."

"I'm just grabbing a soda." Ethan chose a Pepsi and cracked it open. "And I'm gonna go get ready, ok?"

"Ok, but you only have around twenty minutes."

"Yeah!" Ethan made his way upstairs and into his room. He searched around in his drawers until he found a rather nice dark purple t-shirt and a dark pair of jeans along with boxers and socks. He locked himself in the bathroom, and having already taken a shower earlier that day, he opted to go with only the change of clothes, deodorant and a quick spray of cologne. After brushing his teeth, and running a wet comb through his unruly hair, he laced his shoes and opened the door to the bathroom.

Mid-step, he hesitated, and shut the door again. He turned towards the mirror, lifting his shirt.

Nothing. No wounds and no scars along his chest, stomach, or arms. Just smooth, unbroken skin, and the outline of lean muscles that might've not been there before. When did he get muscles?

"That's weird." Ethan whispered without meaning to. He looked up, into the mirror, and was met with a confused look. He lent closer, and inspected his face, his eyes, his nose, skin, and hair.

_'What's different?' _He thought, touching just under his eyes with his fingertips. _'Something's different...something's changed.' _He leant back and headed out the door again, this time, not looking back.

_'And I'm just scaring myself.' _He rang hand through his hair and decided to go and relax for a while before he had to leave.

**XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO**

The familiar ring of the Morgan's doorbell sounded, and Ethan immediately shot up from his spot at the computer chair, bounding out his door and down the stairs.

"I got it!" He yelled and swung the door open to Senna.

"Hey." He greeted, with a small smile.

"What's up, Ethan?" She smiled back just as Ethan's mom walked over from the kitchen.

"Oh, hello." Samantha said with a warm smile. "I'm Samantha Morgan, Ethan's mom. You must be one of those friends Evelyn said were in town."

"Senna Parker." They shook hands.

"Ethan, it's kind of windy out today, and Evelyn said you've been sick lately..." Ethan's mother began.

"I haven't been that sick-" Senna smirked discreetly at this and raised an eyebrow. "And I feel fine."

"Just go get a sweater, son. No use arguing with your mother." Ethan rolled his eyes as his dad walked by and started back up the stairs.

**-Ten Minutes Later-**

When he sat down, Ethan was pleasantly surprised to see a smiling Cody. He smiled rather awkwardly as he slipped off the hoodie his mom had suggested he bring.

"Well I'm certainly happy to see you again." Cody said as a waiter brought a tray of several glasses of ice water to the table.

"I should be saying that." Ethan replied, sitting down in his cool metal chair. "I thought grandma said that you and Senna were leaving yesterday." He'd been wondering that since Senna had shown up at his house.

"We did leave yesterday." Cody flashed a set of white teeth as he smiled, stirring the ice around in his water with a straw. "We left for my home town. Just got back a few hours ago."

"Have you slept at all?" The brunette's eyes widened as he checked for any dark circles under Cody's eyes. There was nothing, and in fact, no indication at all that Cody had been up all night.

"Noooope, but I'm hungry, and after this, I can sleep all day if I want to." He leant back in his chair, making it creak against the stone floors, and folded his arms behind his head. "Be best anyway...these things come out at night. No use looking around in the day."

"Oh." Was Ethan's simple reply as his phone vibrated in his pocket.

'_E, hurry up getting here, grandma's flirting with the waiter! Dx' _-Benny

"Hey, where are Grandma and Benny?" Ethan asked with a hint of amusement on his face. "Aren't they supposed to be here?"

"He and grandma are probably arguing with a waitress somewhere." He smirked. "That table _was not _gonna be large enough for all of us. I took it upon myself to choose this much larger one, in a much larger, more _attractive _dining area." He raised his glass as the waitress handed it to him. "Now, we just have to wait."

Ethan couldn't help but smile a little and he silently agreed that this was a much better setting than the one inside the crowded restaurant. This section of the place was outside, with the tables and chairs shaded from the sun by huge colourful umbrellas. There was hardly anyone else in the surrounding tables.

"Can I get you anything to drink, sir?" The friendly, middle-aged waitress asked as she readied her notebook and pen.

"Um, yeah, can I get a diet coke?" He quickly looked over the menu, deciding on one of the first things he saw. He'd been hungry since this morning, when Benny'd left his house (he'd camped the night earlier).

"Sure thing. You ready to order?" She looked between him and Cody. Cody was just opening his mouth to reply, a menu in his hand, when a very annoyed Grandma Weir walked up with a flustered-looking Benny.

"There you are!" She slammed her purse down on the table next to Cody. "Cody! You were supposed to find us as soon as you got here!" Benny quickly moved around the table to sit at the chair next to Ethan's.

"Sorry Grandma, and I did find you, I just found this spot a much more...attractive place to enjoy dinner." He said, with a look of completely innocence. Grandma rolled her eyes and scowled as she sat down.

"Well, I suppose this is a much nicer area...and that table would not have fit all of us." She slipped off her sweater and Cody winked at Ethan from across the table. Ethan looked down, trying to contain his smile and seen Benny raise an eyebrow from his peripheral vision.

"I'm glad you could make it, Ethan." Grandma smiled. "Glad your parents let you out of the house, more like."

"They're cool with everything." Ethan replied and glanced over at the waitress who'd been waiting patiently a few feet away from the group. "I think I'm ready to order now." He heard murmurs of agreement from around the table as Senna finally showed up. She'd split up with Ethan when they first arrived.

"Sorry about that, Tyson held me up." She said as she sat down in the middle of grandma and Benny. Ethan ordered a rather large order of steak and fries which got him some weird looks.

"Hungry?" Benny asked.

"Yeah...I've been really hungry lately." Ethan replied, sipping from the ice water in front of him.

"So..guys," Senna started, leaning forward "-Evelyn and I have arranged for a friend of mine to come into town for just a few days while we get this whole...mess cleaned up." She looked around, checking each individual expression closely.

"Tyson?" Cody asked bluntly.

"Yes." Senna replied just as quickly. "He's a friend of the family."

"You hardly know him." Apparently this wasn't the first time Tyson had been brought up, and Cody didn't like him.

"He's smart and he's skilled."

"He's untrustworthy and makes my skin crawl."

"Come on, Cody." Senna scowled. "You're being childish."

"What's wrong?" Ethan found himself asking, in spite of the negative feelings he was getting from this conversation alone. The tension in the air at that moment was almost sickening.

"Tyson and Cody went to high school together." Senna started.

"They were the most disgusting years of my life." Cody glanced at Ethan before closing his eyes, poker-facing. Senna giggled quietly.

"I'm guessing something happened between you two?" Grandma asked.

"Nothing of importance now." Cody said, leaning back in his chair, resting the menu over his face. "Can we just...not talk about this anymore? All the negativity this conversation is bringing is making me sick." Ethan's gaze flicked over to his new friend.

_'That's what I just thought.' _A chill came over the Seer. _'It's probably nothing..'_

**XOXOXOXOXOXXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO**

"So, Ethan, Benny...dare I say it, how is school going?" Cody asked, accepting a refill from the nice waitress from before. Ethan and Benny gave each other looks.

"I'm just fine." Benny said, taking a big bite of his cheeseburger. "A's and B's, one D." Grandma gave a slightly disgusted _'oh my god, we have company' _look, while Senna coughed into her napkin and Cody smiled, more at the females' reactions than anything else. Ethan just rolled his eyes, being the only one to understand Benny over the mountain of food in his mouth.

"He's all good, A's and B's except for one D, in Noodles." Ethan translated through a small grin and Grandma scowled.

"So that's what he said." Senna said with a small laugh. "How about you, Ethan?"

"A's and one C." Ethan answered. "Noodles." He cut a piece of steak off his half-eaten portion and chewed, politely with his mouth closed. No one spoke aloud that all you had to do was boil water.

"What about you guys?" Benny asked as he succeeded in swallowing his mouth full of food, talking a sip from his coke. "Any interesting jobs?"

"Not really." Senna was the first to speak up. "I was training to be a nurse for a while, with a few side jobs. I took some weeks off when I...got involved with the supernatural." She smiled a little. "That was two years ago. Since then, I've taken well to mechanics and electronics."

"I come from a family with money, not that I needed it." Cody said, rather fondly. "I graduated from high school when I was fifteen, and have been through a lot of small, odd jobs." He twirled a spoon through his long fingers. "I'd always been an artist, and when I started taking serious classes, it kinda paid off. I play a lot of instruments too, and I'm good with electronics."

"The oddball of the family." Senna smiled. "The rest of them are lawyers and doctors."

"He seemed to do fine the last week or so." Benny commented, referring to the times Cody helped take care of Ethan. Ethan tried not to grimace uncomfortably with the fact that he'd missed so much in the days he was asleep.

"I'm good with blood and gore." Cody agreed, absently chasing ice around in his cup with a straw.

"And you're an excellent arguer." Senna grinned. "If you hadn't left, you would've fit right in."

"That's what I was afraid of."

"That's only you're fathers side of the family, dear." Grandma patted his arm.

"What's mom's side like?" Ethan asked, trying to mimic Cody's eagerness and enthusiasm. From the way he held himself and the way he was talking, Ethan could tell something was bothering him.

"Mom's sides different." Cody answered. "More interesting to be around, to be frank. My mom, Katherine Elspeth, is where I get my love for music and art. She's a musician and a great entertainer." He smiled a little.

"And an even greater sorceress and teacher." Grandma said with a warm smile.

"What about you're parents, Ethan?" Cody asked, leaning forward, with his elbows on the table and chin on his hand. Receiving the psychic's full attention, Ethan tried to stop his blush of discomfort.

"They seemed nice." Cody's gaze flickered momentarily over to Senna and back to Ethan. "Regular, though, right Ethan?" She asked, and took a bite of her salad. Ethan held a cloth napkin to his mouth, feeling the heat rise in his cheeks as his eyes flickered between the eyes watching him with curiosity.

"Yeah, I mean they aren't like, magical or anything, I'm the only one with a gift besides my sister, Jane." Ethan tried not to stutter, forgetting that he had no reason to stutter or stumble. These were friends, right? And family...why did he feel so shy? "I..I'll-I'll be right back." He set his napkin down on the table, forgetting about his hunger, and getting up from his chair, exiting the dining area into a long hallway. He reached the bathrooms he'd found on the way in and locked himself in, letting his heart slow down.

_'What's wrong with me?' _He asked himself, a few minutes later, bending over the sink to splash cool water on his hot face. _'It's just Cody and Senna...Benny..Grandma.' _He dried himself with a paper towel and exited the bathroom as the anxious feelings and shyness faded away. When he got back, Cody was gone (which made him feel surprisingly relieved) as was Senna and Grandma, whom he spotted chatting with some other ladies at another table. Only his best friend remained seated, picking daintily at his plate.

"You okay dude?" Benny asked as he sat down. "You looked...weird when you left."

"I'm good.' Ethan replied, taking a big bite off of his steak, tearing a great chunk from the slab of meat. His hunger, which he'd been trying to control, suddenly came back full-force. He was so hungry.

"You sure you're okay?" Benny asked, raising an eyebrow as he watched his best friend tear apart the steak on his plate.

"Never better." Ethan replied around the food in his mouth and immediately blushed, but this time without the overwhelming shyness taking over. It was, after all, only Benny. Ethan finished his steak and what was left of his fries, and gulped down the rest of his drink. Feeling slightly disgusted with himself, he wiped his mouth with a fresh napkin, wishing he had a toothbrush, or at least a toothpick. The hunger was gone now, and he was relieved of the emptiness in his stomach. That was a really big meal he'd ordered.

"Wanna go wait in the car?" Benny stage-whispered, jingling a set of keys in front of him. "I have a feeling Grandma's gonna take a while."

"Let's go." Ethan said, already slipping on his hoodie.

**XOXOXOXOXOX**

"He needs something for his stomach, I think." Benny's ace was stressed. "Some pain reliever too...do you have any?" Ross Morgan stood at the other side of Ethan's bed, looking down at his son with worry.

"Sure, I'll check if we have some." He walked over to grab Ethan's trash bin from the side of his computer stand and took out the beg, leaving the bucket empty. "You alright son?" He knelt down next to his son's, who had his head hanging off the bed, facing the floor. Ross positioned the bucket under Ethan's head.

"I'm fine, dad." He rasped out and Ross stood up, heading for the door.

"Painkillers and stomach..settlers?" He asked just as Ethan threw up into the bucket.

"Some mouthwash too.' Benny winced. "And some bottled water..and a cup!"

"Got it!" He heard the sound of Ross' footsteps descending the stairs and got up to help Ethan adjust to a more comfortable position. He stood back, that all too familiar pressure in his chest returning.

Still, this was nothing compared to the days he spent waiting for Ethan to wake up.

"I'm sorry, E." Benny found himself apologising, sitting next to his best friend on the bed.

"It's not your fault Benny." Ethan said, sitting up from his position over the bucket. "I probably just caught something from someone in the restaurant." He leaned back on the bed painfully, groaning as he gently set his head on the pillow. Benny felt that unpleasant tug in his chest and had the sudden urge to hug and comfort Ethan...which was rather odd. He and Ethan usually weren't so physically affectionate. But the sight of him lying there on the bed brought excruciating memories to the forefront of Benny's mind, and he tried desperately to push them away.

"No...about everything, E." Benny's eyes shone with pain and conflict. "About everything, about leaving you in the woods, about you getting hurt, about..being an idiot all the time and loosing that stupid arrow." Benny's voice started to break as the words he'd held back since that night sprang forth like water from a broken dam. He felt a lump in his throat and the threat of tears sting his eyes. "About everything." Was all he could manage to choke out before he put his head in his hands and tried to get a grip on himself. A feeling of great weakness and self-disappointment washed over him as a few tears escaped his closed eyes.

"I got it!" The door way swing open as Ross entered, carrying a rather large tray of supplies. His eyes landed on Benny, hunched over, and Ethan silently and quickly placed a finger to his lips. Unseen by Benny, who still hadn't moved, Ethan lightly shooed his dad away with an appreciative look.

Benny, embarrassed to have been caught in a moment of weakness, felt Ethan's too-warm hand on his shoulder and visibly flinched. "Benny." Ethan said in the softest tone the other had heard him use. "None of this is your fault." When he was given no reaction, he gave Benny a little shake. "Come on Benny...if anything, it was my fault, I shouldn't have been so weak. I should've-"

"No, E." Benny wiped angrily at his face. "I was the one being stupid and...and not thinking." His voice hitched. "Why am I so stupid, E?" Benny could barely get the words out though the sobs that now wracked his body. "You could have _died_."

"_No_, Benny." Benny felt the bed shift as Ethan scooted closer to him, and then warm arms wrap around him. "I'm telling you, _nothing _that happened was _ever _your fault." He only cried harder as Ethan him close, rubbing his back and sides soothingly. "I went willingly. I wasn't about to let you go looking for it yourself...Benny, please breathe."

Benny tried to get his breathing under control, to breathe normally instead of hard, desperate gulps of air. He was beginning to feel a little light headed, and felt Ethan settle in as he waited for his crying friend to calm down. Shame and an overwhelming sadness settled in his chest as he felt Ethan's abnormal body temperature against his own skin. Wasn't _he _supposed to be taking care of _Ethan_?

So, it had all come out. Everything he'd been feeling since that night. It'd all come out in the most humiliating way possible. How weak he must look.

"Sorry." Benny managed as he pressed his hands harder to his face, knowing that it was red and wet and not wanting Ethan to see. "Sorry.."

"It's okay, Ben." He felt his best friend scoot away a little and instantly missed his comforting touch. Then he felt gentle hands on his own and resisted weakly. He gave up fairly quickly, though and bowed his head lowly as his hands were removed, staring at the wet spots on his jeans. His face felt rather cold now that it was exposed to the open air. "It's okay, really.." Ethan continued and Benny felt more hot tears roll down his face.

When he finally had the courage to glance up at his best friend, he was surprised to see that Ethan's face was a little tear stained as well.

"I'm serious Benny. I don't blame you for anything." Benny's lower lip trembled and he looked back down in embarrassment. "So don't cry sw-" he stopped abruptly and Benny glanced back up at him through wet lashes. "I don't want you to cry." And he was being hugged again. "You shouldn't cry."

After Benny had regained a grip on his emotions, he apologized for breaking down when he was supposed to be taking care of Ethan, and not the other way around. Ethan only rolled his eyes and replied in a small voice that he was already starting to feel a little bit better.

**- Later That Night -**

Ethan awoke with a groan and stretched out, feeling a little sore. His arms and legs ached. His hands and feet and neck ached. Even his back ached a little bit, but after about a minute of continuously stretching and flexing, he felt a lot better, and even more so when he stood up to get a drink.

Ethan gave a surprised yelp as his foot came in contact with something warm and solid lying on the floor. Barely catching himself against his desk, he looked to the floor and gave a sigh of relief as his eyes landed on a sleeping Benny. Ethan first smiled at the sight and then frowned as he realized that something was off about the way his best friend was sleeping. Ethan knew from experience that Benny liked to sleep with his limbs thrown this way and that, carefree, and snoring quietly.

Not tonight, though. Tonight Benny was sort of curled in on himself, with his knees nearly to his chest and arms under his head, still fully clothed. Something about his fatal position and the way he furrowed his eyebrows, flinching every so often, told Ethan that Benny was having a nightmare. He frowned and knelt down next to his best friend, shaking him lightly. He lied on an assortment of blankets that he usually used as a makeshift bed when he slept over, but the pillows were tossed aside and forgotten.

"Benny?" Ethan asked quietly. "Wake up, Ben, your having a nightmare!" He refused to budge, and after moving his hand to his forearm, Ethan was surprised to feel that Benny was freezing.

_'How's he so cold?' _Ethan thought, and then, without hesitating, scooped Benny up into his arms.

Benny made no indication that he was waking up anytime soon, even as Ethan placed him on the bed and began unpacking his shoes. Ethan vaguely wondered if his mom had forced Benny to take some pain relievers as well, that had put him to sleep. Earlier that night, after he'd consoled Benny enough so that he stopped crying, he'd offhandedly mentioned his muscles aching and Ethan had asked his mom if they had any more painkillers.

As he gently eased Benny's shoes off, and then his socks, Ethan contemplated taking off his friend's pants and shirt as well. Wouldn't Benny be more comfortable without his polo and jeans? But then again, wouldn't he get colder without his clothes? They'd seen each other in boxers often enough so that self-consciousness between them had basically been thrown to the wind long ago, and Ethan figured Benny wouldn't have a problem with it. Besides, he'd be warm enough under Ethan's comforter.

After stripping him of all but his boxers, Ethan covered him up and frowned as he realized this had done nothing for his nightmares. Benny still tossed and turned every once in a while, and his eyes still searched frantically behind his eyelids. Gazing down at him, the Seer was reminded of exactly what Benny had been crying about just a few hours before.

He understood how Benny would blame himself for what had happened...but couldn't Benny understand that Ethan didn't blame him at all? Hadn't he realized by now that with every scheme they'd ever played out, with every stupid thing they'd ever done, Ethan had gone _willingly_? Despite all those schemes being plotted mostly by Benny, Ethan had always enjoyed them, even if they were a little stressful at times.

"I never blamed you, Benny." Ethan whispered as he hesitantly began to rub soothing circles into his sleeping friends shoulder. "It was _never _your fault. You didn't shoot that crossbow on purpose." Ethan started to use his other hand, beginning to gently massage the other's neck and shoulders. He had restlessly flipped over onto his stomach, and Ethan took the opportunity to try and relax some of the tension in his muscles.

Everything had came out that night. With every tear Benny cried, Ethan had felt his heart ache a little more. This was his best friend, crying his eyes out over something that Ethan never blamed him for. Hugging him and soothing him had come naturally to Ethan, though this was the first time Benny had actually cried this hard in front of him. In fact, he'd had a hard time controlling his choice of words. Ethan had almost called Benny affectionate names on many occasions throughout the night, names he hadn't used since Jane was really little.

Benny had looked so broken...and in those moments of affection, Ethan had realized how much he hated when Benny was sad. He was just one of those people who were always bright and happy, and that was one of the things Ethan loved about his best friend. So happy and carefree all the time, always looking on the bright side and trying to make the best of things, even if he did make mistakes sometimes. Ethan suddenly remembered a strange thought that had crossed his mind when he was comforting Benny...about his personality resembling an angel...a really aloof angel with the tendency to make trouble without meaning to. But an angel nonetheless.

Ethan continued to massage Benny's tense muscles, giving particular attention to the muscles he used most. He started to slowly apply more pressure, but not enough for it to hurt. Just enough for it to feel good.

_"You shouldn't cry." _He remembered telling Benny. Ethan remembered his own tears as well, and the thought that had accompanied the words. _'Angels shouldn't cry.' _Because, what would happen if the angel that brightened his life were to start crying? If that angel were to be sad all the time? Nothing would ever be bright or happy again.

He just wanted to blurt out all that he wished Benny wouldn't blame himself, that it wasn't his fault at all, and Ethan wished he wouldn't cry. It made him want to cry.

Slowly, Benny relaxed under Ethan's touch, and the unpleasant dreams seemed to recede. Ethan glanced at the clock, which read 4:53am, and back at Benny, who had rolled over into his side, and was cutely hugging a pillow to his chest.

Ethan smiled as he realized he just referred to Benny as 'cute'. _'Well, it is, isn't it?' _He thought as Benny began to snore lightly. Ethan just sat there and watched for little longer, and began brushing through Benny's soft, brunette locks. Sleeping peacefully, Benny looked like a child..more like he used to before everything happened.

When would be the next time he'd get to see Benny this way?

These thoughts aside, Ethan got up and walked over to the door, easing it open and then closing it softly behind himself. Benny would be okay now. And for some odd reason, Ethan was wide awake, and full of energy...which confused him. Just a few hours ago, he'd been feeling like he was getting the flu, or food poisoning. Maybe his body was playing a trick on him, and he'd end up feeling feverish and sick again in a few minutes.

But right now, he was hungry. As gross as it was, he'd thrown up most of what he eaten earlier, and his stomach had a sickening empty feeling. He quietly made way to the kitchen and searched around in the fridge. It was filled with a lot of things, but most of them were healthy and green. At that moment, he didn't have a taste for fruit and vegetables, and searched around some more. When his hands came upon something red and firm, he just had to stop and laugh at himself.

_'Oh my god.' _He thought, looking down at the meat in his hands. _'Am I actually considering eating raw meat?'_ He made a face, and held it for a little longer. People ate raw meat, didn't they? For some occasions? People liked rare meat...but not fully raw, totally uncooked meat...

His stomach lurched again, and in a snap decision he closed the fridge and tore it from the wrapper, tossing it into the garbage can. He thought about eating it cold, but instead placed it on a plate and set it to heat up in the microwave.

_'What am I _doing_?' _He thought as he sat impatiently at the table_. 'I should just eat some celery or something. I might get myself sick.'_ He momentarily panicked. _'What if I give myself some sort of parasite with this?'_ He chewed his lip, and grimaced as he looked around in the dim light.

An actual gasp went through him as well as a shock as he realized that there were absolutely no lights on. Only the tiny light from the microwave illuminated the room.

"_Holy crap_!" Ethan said out loud and on instinct covered his mouth. _'Is this a new Seer power?' _He got up and went over to the basement door to peer inside. No lights, nothing to shed any sort of glow on the room, but he could still see perfectly. A grin lit up his face, and a small laugh of wonder escaped him. This was amazing! He loved it!

As the timer on the microwave went off, he remembered the hunger that was eating away at his insides and hurried to the kitchen. As he set the plate down on the table and sat on the chair, he only hesitated for a second before bringing the now warm meat to his lips and sinking his teeth into it.

The thought vaguely crossed Ethan's mind that the meat should be a little harder to chew, but was quickly forgotten as he satisfied the painful hunger. The heat had brought out the blood, and it dripped from his lips as he tore into the meat. It was a fairly large cut of meat, a bit smaller than the one he'd ordered at the restaurant. As he finished eating it, only two minutes later, he chewed absently on the bone.

Then something strange happened. He got up to place his dish in the sink, and caught sight of the moon outside. It was so pretty...combined with the night sky and stars that twinkled above, it was unbelievable. Why hadn't he noticed it before? His eyes strayed to the darkened woods with a new sense of appreciation he'd never had before.

He wanted to feel what it was like to be outside on such a beautiful night.

**XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX**

**AN: ****The first thing I wanted to say was that this chapter has been written for...a very long time. I don't know if this chapter is long or not, since I cannot have a word count thingy. I hope it's satisfactory...anyways, I was already working on this when I posted the third chapter, and just kept adding on. The fifth chappie is already in progress.**

**Oh! I wanted also to let you know that I'm writing this authors note on 6.3.13 and the reason I won't update until late is because my god damned computer fucking crashed! Ugh, I hate it so much...but yeah, it crashed like two months ago when I brought it over to a friends house. Damn virus-y wifi... I'm writing this on an iPad, and FF wont let me upload or edit form it (which sucks tennis balls). Now, I don't know when I'll get the chance to post, but when I do, hopefully there'll be more chapters to out up.**

**DROP ME A REVIEW! PLEASE?**

**DETAILS PEOPLE, I love TO HEAR OPINIONS!**

**Thanks if you read this! And sorry if this AN is insanely long. Byyyeeee! **


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five: Can Never Catch A Break

_**WARNING: **_This is a slash story, and it's rated "M", we've been through this before. Haters, kindly press the left arrow.

**XOXOXOXOXOXOXOX**

Benny woke up slowly, drifting in and out of consciousness. He was comfortable...surprisingly so. It was soft and warm, but not too warm..and just a little sunlight shone through the dark curtains of Ethan's bedroom.

Ethan's bedroom?

He opened his eyes wide, staring around the room for a while, remaining still. He realized there was no one else in the bed with him and slowly sat up, glancing around the room, and then catching sight of the digital clock. 12:30pm. Wow, he'd slept in late...which was weird because either grandma or Ethan's parents usually woke them up around nine...but where was Ethan? He'd been sick last night...

_'What if something happened?!' _Benny thought frantically, painful images of Ethan, hurt and sick flickering through his mind. _'What if he's in the hospital?!'_

In panic, he threw off the covers and shot out of the bed, then blushed as he realized he was only in his boxers...how the hell had his clothes come off? He vaguely remembered making a bed on the floor and then lying down, shoes and all. How did he get undressed? Unless...could Ethan actually have undressed him and lied him down in bed? Benny felt his face grow hotter. Ethan had been acting abnormal lately, and Benny really thought about it, he himself had been feeling odd lately as well. With how exhausted he was last night from all the emotional trauma, he could've slept through anything.

This bothered him_. 'What if whatever attacked Ethan before came again?' _He chewed his lip. _'I would've just slept right through it!'_

These troublesome thoughts aside, Benny forced himself to just dress himself in some of Ethan's clean clothes -which he'd done countless times before- and lace up his shoes, which had been listing on the floor by the closet. Also by his shoes was his spell book -which he never left home without- and he secured it in his back pocket before exiting the room. As he made his way out of Ethan's room, his attention was drawn to a piece of paper taped to the doorknob.

"**Sick. Please Don't Disturb.**"In big black marker, in Ethan's neat handwriting. Benny couldn't help but smile as he took the note off and crumpled it up, throwing it into Ethan's room before closing the door. As Benny made his way through the house, he stopped at every door, peering inside as he searched for Ethan.

"Benny?" Ethan's dad asked as Benny came into the living room.

"Hey Mr. Morgan." Benny smiled awkwardly. "Mrs. Morgan.." he greeted as she walked into the room, wiping her hands on a dish towel.

"Hey Benny." She smiled a little. "How's he doing?"

"What? Who?"

"Ethan." She said, smiling amusedly as though it was obvious.

"It was sure good of you to stay and take care of him last night." Ross said from his seat on the couch, and Benny looked away. He was humiliatingly reminded that Ethan's dad had seen him crying last night. It embarrassed him to no end that he had cried at all.

"That note was cute." Samantha added.

"Thanks." Benny quickly recovered, deciding to play along with whatever Ethan wanted him to, even if he didn't understand it. Ethan had obviously wanted his parents to think that he was still sick, and Benny was taking care of him, for whatever reason..but where was he? "Uh, have you seen E anywhere?" He tried to put on a sheepish smile. "I kind of drifted off earlier and when I woke up he wasn't there."

"Huh." Ethan's dad mused, furrowing his eyebrows. "I haven't seen him all morning...and I've been up since nine."

"I was up at seven, helping Grandma Weir with an event she was arranging." Ethan's mom chimed in, but Benny was already beginning to worry. He hardly heard anything she'd said, already grabbing his jacket that he'd spotted hanging on a hook by the front door. He slid it on and shoved the sleeves up to his elbows.

"That's alright...uh, I'll go look for him." Benny forced a tight smile and almost ran out of the house. As soon as he was outside, he was calling Grandma. He scanned the yard and streets, even rustling in some flower bushes that covered the front and sides of the house.

"Hello?"

"Cody?" Benny asked almost with distaste. Why was Cody still at his house? "Where's my grandma?" He asked rather rudely and jogged along the house. _Where was Ethan?_

"Right here, she-"

"Put her on!" He said impatiently.

"Yes sir." Benny rolled his eyes. _'Oh god...' _He thought stressfully. _'If it came back for him, Ethan could be anywhere, damnit! In any condition...' _He even went as far as to look in the garage and under the cars. He let out a loud sound of relief when his grandma finally answered.

"Benny?"

"Grandma! Ethan's gone!" Benny said, anxiety leaking into his voice.

"What do you mean, he's gone?!" She asked, her tone beginning to match his.

"I can't find him!" He lowered his voice slightly, on the verge of panicking. "I woke up this morning and he wasn't there, but he left a note telling his parents to leave us alone and no one's seen him since last night!" He wheezed out in a single breath. "I'm looking around the house, what do I do!?"

"Calm down, we'll be over there in five minutes." He could already hear the static as she rustled around the house.

"Grandma, what if it came back for him again?" Benny said, more than a hint of fear in his voice. "I'm going to look in the woods."

"Don't fret dear, everything will be fine." She was trying very hard to sound comforting, but Benny could still hear the panic that lurked behind her voice. He knew Ethan was like another grandson to her. "Don't go running around in the woods until we get there...give us five minutes." Click.

"Five minutes." Benny said aloud, and on whim thought of a spell that would lead him to Ethan. He remembered reading something about a spell that would lead you to an (non living ) object you'd lost, and then another that would lead you to good fortune. None really applied to Ethan...or, did Ethan count as good fortune? Yes. But not in the way the book meant.

As Benny started to jog towards the back of the house, he searched for any signs that anyone had been back around the house recently. The fact that Ethan's dad had mown the lawn earlier and left everything out didn't help. Any sign of life could've been from anyone. After a brief look around the garage and yard, he headed for the woods, letting out a sound of frustration.

What was the use of being a magical being who could cast awesome spells if you had to read from a bloody book to perform them? Those spells were all from people before him. Those people had made their own spells. Why couldn't he?

For once, Benny decided not to risk trying.

A few more minutes of searching brought no results...and Benny wasn't sure that venturing too far into the woods was a good idea. Ethan could be anywhere. It was like looking for a particular piece of hay in a haystack. All he could think about was that he wanted to always know where Ethan was...if he was alright or not. If he was in danger...he could be in danger right now, and Benny wouldn't know!

Couldn't anything be easy? Couldn't the wind suddenly pick up to lead him in the right direction or something? Couldn't there be a footprint here and there?

When Benny saw it, he was just about ready to turn back and head for the house. It was...strange. Rippling like a mirage, it distorted the objects behind it, making the leaves and grass swirl oddly. When Benny tried to touch it, it dissolved, and then appeared again when his hand was gone. Forming sort of a messy, thick line, it lead in the direction he'd just come from, and having nothing to loose, he followed it.

About two minutes into following the rippling trail, it dissolved completely, on it's own. Benny gave a snort of disbelief.

"What?" He asked loudly to nothing in particular and spun in a circle. _'That was real.'_ Benny thought to himself. _'That was some weird, rippling, invisible line...I didn't just imagine that.'_

"What?" Benny nearly jumped out of his skin, and gave a loud yelp. _'What in hell!?'_

"What the hell?" Benny exclaimed, spinning around. Who said that? "Where are you!?" He asked, trying to sound forceful and not fearful.

"Benny? What!? Why am I in a tree?" Ethan nearly squeaked, and Benny nearly gave himself whiplash trying to locate the source of his best friends voice. His eyes landed on a flustered and shivering Ethan, who was perched dangerously on a collection of creaky boards up in a tree.

"Ethan! Thank God!" Benny yelled as he rushed over to the tree. It was a thick pine, and looked easy enough to climb...but why was there boards up there? It looked like the ruins of an old treehouse. "What are you doing up there? You scared me to death!" Benny's voice nearly broke and tinged with anger at nothing in particular. It's not like it was Ethan's fault.

"I don't know!" Ethan said, rubbing both his arms and looking around from his spot ten feet above Benny. "What am I doing here?" Ethan asked.

_'He doesn't remember anything? At least this time, he's not hurt...' _Pain jabbed at Benny's heart.

"That's what I'd love to know." Benny said, feeling his chest tighten. What happened? "Are you okay? Do you hurt anywhere? Climb down! You don't remember anything?" Benny began to feel sort of lightheaded for a few seconds, before the feeling went away.

"One issue at a time.." Ethan said warily as he began to climb down, easing himself off of the unstable boards. "No I don't hurt anywhere...I think I'm fine, and no I don't remember anything."

"Sorry..." Benny said as he held his arms out, prepared to catch Ethan if he fell. "Be careful..."

_'I'd probably just crash to the ground with him.' _Benny thought, not for the first time cursing his small build. Nonetheless, he held his position. _'Oh well, I would break his fall at least...'_

"Yeah." Ethan said, and then stilled as he climbed down. He looked at something on a tree's branch. "Hey, I found something."

"What?" Benny asked, barely paying attention as anxiety took over his mind. Wasn't the fact that he woke up in a tree without knowing how he got there, bothering him? What if Ethan was delirious? "Just come down, E..." He placed his hands on the rough trunk of the tree.

"There's something here..." Ethan said, beginning to tug on the bark of a branch just beside him, throwing bits and pieces off. "It looks like a box."

_'A wooden box?' _Benny thought warily. _'He's tired...or high..or drugged.' _"It's probably just part of the tree!" He called up gently. Weirdly, he felt tired...he suddenly felt like he wanted to take a nap. "Come on, we gotta get you home! You've been out all night." He tried to reason, and rubbed at his stinging eyes, annoyed. He'd just woken up.

"I'll be down in a second!" Ethan said, still tearing at the branch. "Ha!" _'Well what do ya know?' _Benny thought dryly, half surprised and half annoyed as he looked at the small, black, piece of carved wood in Ethan's hand.

"Nice, now get down!"

"Okay!" Ethan yelled and Benny detected a little nervousness in his voice. As Ethan reached the ground, he saw that Ethan wasn't as calm as he tried to appear while climbing down. A bit of fear shone in his eyes, and Benny placed an arm around him, then took it back, eyes widening.

"I'm kind of cold.." Ethan murmured and fiddled with the box in his hands. Benny had forgotten about it, and gently took it from Ethan's shaking fingers, stuffing it into his pocket and then removing his jacket. He wordlessly helped Ethan into his jacket and kept an arm around him as they headed home. After about two minutes of walking, Ethan, who'd been glancing at Benny every so often, spoke.

"Sorry Ben." Ethan said, looking guilty and a little sad. "For the life of me, I can't remember why I was in that tree." He glanced up at his taller friend and the two halted their steps. Benny only smiled a little and tightened his arm around Ethan slightly.

"It's okay E." Benny rubbed his friends arm soothingly. "I...we...well, everyone's just really worried is all. I mean, things turned out alright this time, but everything's still pretty uncertain." They resumed their slow walk. "You could've actually been taken again, or you could've been sleepwalking..." He trailed off.

"At least I'm not in critical condition this time." Ethan said, reminding Benny of the last time something like this had happened. It made him visibly tense and Ethan shot him an apologetic look. It also reminded Benny of grandma, and his thoughts strayed to their earlier phone call. Shouldn't she be showing up? Shouldn't she already have found them?

"Grandma should be showing up by the way...I called her about twenty minutes ago, so her and the other ones are probably out here looking too. I woke up and freaked out when no one said they'd seen you since last night." Benny almost stumbled as, once again he got that dizzy feeling. It was strange, but even though he'd woken up not a half hour ago, he felt worn. His mind was still wide awake and alert, but he had that run down battery feeling, like a light getting dimmer and dimmer. All he wanted was to make sure Ethan was healthy and safe and then take a nap.

"I don't hurt anywhere, honestly." Ethan replied quietly, and snapped Benny out of his tired thoughts. He couldn't afford for his mind to be in a haze right now. "I'm just really cold, but that's probably from staying out here for..." He had a thoughtful look on his face. "Well, who knows how long I've been out here."

"What's the last thing you remember?" Benny asked and Ethan rubbed the back of his neck before opening his mouth to reply.

"Benny!?" Grandma called from somewhere in front of them. "Ethan!?" Benny froze at the voice, and then relaxed and then changed direction slightly to meet up with their companions.

"We're here, grandma!" Benny yelled back and felt Ethan tense slightly. "It's okay, E." He said for only Ethan to hear. "You feel like talking much?" He tried to sound understanding as he could still sense the fear and uncertainty in his friend.

"Not really." It's not like anyone could blame him.

"Then you don't have to." Benny said, thinking of removing his arm as grandma and her friends got closer, but deciding against it. If it comforted Ethan even a little bit, that was good enough. He wanted Ethan to know that he was there for him. "We'll just head back to my house, kay?"

"Kay." Ethan answered and smiled warily as grandma approached closer.

"Benny!" Grandma exclaimed coming closer and catching both Ethan and he in a hug. "I was so worried. Where'd you find him!?" She asked. Senna and Cody were a few paces behind her.

"A little more into the woods over there." Benny glanced back over his shoulder, refusing to let go of his friend. "He was in a tree, in what looked like an old treehouse." Benny gave a none too friendly glance at the two behind his grandma, who gave small smiles. Cody waved slightly and gave a once-over to Ethan. "If you don't mind, grandma." Benny continued, trying to keep his voice even. "Ethan's kind of shook up right now..."

"Of course." Grandma said, understanding almost immediately. "You don't seem to be hurt." She ran her hands down Ethan's arms, giving him a small but genuine smile. "Whenever you're ready, we'll talk."

Benny started moving Ethan towards the house

**XOXOXOXXOXOXOXOXOXOXO**

"Benny, you okay?" Ethan asked. Benny had been sitting at his computer chair, dozing off, for about fifteen minutes now.

"Yeah, m'fine." Benny mumbled, sitting up and looking sleepily around the room. "You alright, Ethan?"

"I'm good." Ethan replied, worry beginning to gather in his chest. "You just seem really tired...you've been drifting off for a while now."

"Sorry, E." Benny apologized with a smile that was so genuine, even in his dreamy state that Ethan just had to smile back. "They haven't been bothering you, have they?" Ethan just grinned and got up to go help his friend out of the chair.

"Not at all." Ethan answered and ignored Benny's grumbling as he was moved to the bed in the corner of the room. "That speech you gave them about me being tired and all and wanting to be left alone must've stuck." He lied Benny down in the bed and slipped off his shoes before covering him with the blanket. He was reminded of the night before, when he'd done the exact same thing after he'd discovered his friend shivering on the floor.

"If they bother you tell me.' Benny murmured, fighting to keep his eyes open.

"I will, but for now, you get some sleep." Ethan smiled. "You look really tired."

"Just for a few minutes." Benny said, stretching out. "Wake me up in like ten minutes."

"Will do, B." Ethan said and got up to slip the curtains closed. He felt Benny's sleepy eyes on him as he walked around the room. He decided to take a shower, and started to grab random articles of clothing from Benny's closet, not really caring what they looked like. They exchanged clothes so much anyway that half of the clothes in either of their closets were each others.

"Are you sure your alright, E?" Benny asked, on the verge of sleep.

"Totally." Ethan turned to face him as he opened the door to exit the room. "I feel completely fine. Just get some rest and I'll wake you up in about an hour. Maybe we can do something."

"Kay." Was the reply as the young sorcerer fell into unconsciousness. Ethan closed the door lightly as he made his way for the bathroom.

Ethan was feeling remarkably better since he'd been woken up by Benny in the woods. When he'd woken, he didn't feel any pain except for a light headache...and he'd been freezing. Ethan had only been in a loose shirt and shorts when he woke up. He was glad Benny was there when he'd woken up, otherwise he wasn't sure what he would've done.

_'Probably started to panic and run in some random direction.' _Ethan thought with a blush. _'That was freaky, even with Benny there.' _What had happened? The last thing Ethan remembered, he had woken up to Benny sleeping floor and having a nightmare. He remembered giving him a massage to help soothe his nerves and then slipping off his clothes so that he could sleep more comfortably. Wow, Benny had been a heavy sleeper that night...as a matter of fact, in all the nights they had spent together, Ethan had never witnessed Benny sleeping so heavily. After that -Ethan cringed- he'd gone down to the kitchen and ate a raw piece of steak. Then...well, he really didn't know what. That was the extent of his memory.

Ethan sighed as he stepped under the hot streams of water. He began to use some of Benny's body wash to scrub his body clean, feeling rather dirty after two days of not showering. Then he began to shampoo his hair clean, the familiar scent soothing his nerves that had sprung to life since he'd glanced at himself in the mirror upon entering the bathroom. Something was bothering him. He didn't quite know what it was yet, but something was different.

_'What could it be?' _He thought, closing his eyes and tipping his he'd back, letting the water wash away the soap. _'It's not...my skin. It's not my hair. I'm pretty sure it's not my body.'_

Then, as he was contemplating the unknown change, he gasped and stumbled back in shock as he was assaulted with painful images.

_A tall, powerful-looking creature, lifting its face to falling rain and howling. Lightning struck incredibly close and he could see the red in its spiky fur._

_A woman -maybe in her early twenties- with a peculiar haircut and striking blue eyes, surrounded by electricity._

Ethan gasped loudly, brought back to reality by the pain of his skull connecting with the showers edge. Soap still ran down the drain...when he stumbled, he must've slipped and fell. He groaned and rubbed the back of his head, trying to shake the remnants of the mental pictures from his head. It didn't work.

_He could taste blood in his mouth, could smell it in the air. He was looking up at the rain falling down, and the lightning that lit the sky._

He gasped as he suddenly felt hands on his shoulders, shaking firmly, and then running over his throbbing forehead. Who was that? As he glimpsed the still-running shower, he didn't see anyone there. He also saw no trace of red, no blood. Was this a part of the vision? It felt so real. Was this even a vision? He'd never had one so violent...

_Pain. Incredible pain. More rain and thunder...the figure lurking in the shadows..and then something white streaking across his line of sight, shooting straight towards the dark monster._

Ethan sputtered and chocked, coughing uncontrollably, having got water down his throat from the shower. His handsaw shook terribly as he turned the water off and slipped his way out of the shower, falling to the tiled floor. He heard the faint sound of someone knocking at the door, and fumbled to get a pair of shorts on, not caring if it got wet or not. He threw a shirt over his head and down his wet torso with great difficulty. He needed to open the door...was he going insane? Fear burned in his veins like acid.

"Ethan!?" That was Benny. "Are you okay?" More knocking.

"Fine, just-" He gasped, his hand on the doorknob but unable to move. Then he screamed, high and ear-shattering as white hot pain exploded first on his right shoulder, and then again just behind his right shoulder. He stumbled again, clutching his shoulder, and slipped, falling to his knees and thumping heavily against the wall. He couldn't stop screaming. It just hurt too much.

"ETHAN!" He heard Benny scream, and then pounding and kicking against the thick door. "Ethan, what is it!?"

"Benny!" Ethan cried out, blinded by pain. _'What are they doing!?' _"Help!" Tears were really running down his face now. _'I can't be left alone!' _He thought as he lie shaking on the floor. Truth being told, the pain was fading now, but the wounds still throbbed hotly on his shoulder.

"Open the door!" He could hear the desperation in Benny's voice. How was he here? Hadn't he been sleeping? "I can't do it myself!" The door shook in its hinges as it was assaulted from the outside. Ethan tried to make sense of his best friends words and forced himself to stand and fumble with the slippery knob until it unlocked.

"Benny!" Ethan threw himself at his friend, fully sobbing, and heard the sound of footsteps pounding downstairs. They were yelling, but he couldn't hear what they were saying.

"Ethan, what is it?" Benny was shaking him now, but still holding tight. "Ethan, what's wrong!?"

"It's killing me!" Ethan sobbed. All he could see was the flashing of lightning and red fur and claws. All he could feel was the pain and fear that accompanied it.

"Grandma!" Benny called as he started to haul Ethan towards his room. "It's alright, E, it's okay."

"Ethan! What is it? Benny!" Grandma shouted. Ethan could hear that she was upstairs now. He closed his eyes and whimpered in pain and fear, cowering in on himself and clinging to Benny. He refused to be sat or lied down, so the two just stood in the middle of the room.

"What's wrong?" Cody sounded as stressed as Ethan had ever heard him.

"Is he hurt?" Senna's anxious voice asked.

"I don't know, I don't know!" Benny replied, panicky. "He was in the shower and then he just started screaming!" There was a pause as Ethan felt several other hands patting on his back and arms. He let out a yelp as someone touched the sensitive part of his shoulder.

"It hurts!" Ethan yelled, breaking away from Benny. "What is it!?" He asked hysterically and began to pull his shirt off. With assistance from grandma and Benny, he finally got it off. "What is it!?" He repeated.

"There's nothing here!" Benny said nervously. "Grandma..."

"My shoulder!" Ethan sobbed. "My left-no, my right shoulder! What is it!?" The pain was lessening now, and he slowly felt the pain leaving, his hysteria along with it.

"Nothing's there, dear." Grandma sounded shaken, but reassuring and confused all at once. "Absolutely nothing." Ethan let out a great sigh, and collapsed to the floor.

It was weird...but besides the shaking in his hands and the fear from the memories, he felt absolutely fine. Nothing hurt anymore. Not at all...and he was left sitting on Benny's floor, soaking wet, in nothing but a pair of shorts while everyone stared at him. The unsettling feeling still sat sickly in his chest…but mostly, he was embarrassed.

"I'm not crazy." He stated, and felt himself being helped up, felt a towel being wrapped around him. "I'm not crazy." He repeated, and was helped to sit on the bed.

"Of course you're not." Cody consoled, and placed a warm hand on Ethan's now cold shoulder. Ethan felt Benny sit down next to him and wrap a light arm around his shoulder. "But...what happened?" He continued and Ethan sighed.

"Well, I think I just remembered-" Ethan began to answer. _'What?' _He thought, in shock. _'Did I just say I remembered?'_

"What is it?" Senna asked.

"What..." Ethan got up form the bed and began toweling himself off. "I thought they were visions." He said. "They just started happening, and it hurt, but these things were flashing through my mind, taking over..." Ethan grabbed another shirt from Benny's closet, since he's gotten the other one wet. "It was like I was actually there, the night it happened." His voice was excited now, and he was suddenly certain. They were memories.

"Wait...the night?" Benny asked. "That night?"

"Yeah!" Ethan said and grabbed some shorts from Benny's drawer. "I thought they were visions, but they're not, their memories." He could see the others' faces shine with a new hope, a new light.

"Can you write it down?" Cody asked, excited now, as well.

"I feel like I could draw it." Ethan replied. "It was so vivid."

"I'd say." Benny said, pouting.

"Sorry Benny.' Ethan said earnestly. "I didn't mean for that to happen." Shame burned on his face.

"It's alright, E." Benny said, pulling a notepad and pencil from his school bag beside the bed. "You say you could draw it?"

"Yeah..." Ethan said, heading out the door before looking back sheepishly. "Sorry for the scare, everyone."

"Don't even worry about it." Cody said, giving two thumbs up.

"Just let me changed, and I'll get started right on it." He ducked into the bathroom. "Sorry for the mess, grandma!"

**XOXOXOXOXOXOXOX**

Benny and Ethan sat alone in Benny's room, Benny sitting on the bed, and Ethan sitting at Benny's computer chair. Ethan was jotting down all the information he'd received in the "_shower incident_" as Benny called it. Ethan had decided for himself that until he'd processed everything and wrote it down and gone over it with his best friend, he'd keep from telling the others. Which didn't bother them all too much, as long as they got to know at one point. Benny, after all, was closer to Ethan than anyone else.

They'd just been talking about the box that Ethan had discovered while up in the tree. The box had been some sort of black wood, with a nice flowery design carved into the front. It wasn't very large, about two inches thick and just large enough to fit in the palm of someone's hand. Nothing had been found inside it, save for an empty pouch.

"So, nothing?" Ethan asked as he twirled the pencil around his fingers.

"Nope. All anyone found inside the box after opening it was an empty piece of velvet."

"Like a bag?"

"Umm, like a small pouch. It was blue velvet, and it had a fancy button on the front. The box it came in had a bunch of spells cast on it...took grandma and Cody about an hour to get it open." Benny twiddled his thumbs as he waited anxiously for Ethan to finish up drawing and writing. Not wanting to be a pest, he kept himself from asking how far along he was.

"Hey E?"

"Uh huh?"

"Are you sure you're feeling okay?" Benny asked with concern. "I mean...it's kind of out there to shift from screaming in pain and fear to drawing and talking enthusiastically." Ethan gave a guilty look.

"Sorry Benny...I don't know what's up with me lately, I mean, this isn't the first time something like this happened." He chewed his lip, his expression dropping farther. "Sorry if it's weirding you out or anything..."

"Well, I can't exactly pretend like I'm not bothered by your...dramatically changing conditions." Was the spellmaster's reply.

"I really am sorry, Ben." Ethan said as he glanced down to the notepad he was previously sketching on. "I seriously...you know I would never do this on purpose, don't you? And I wouldn't just fake that?"

"Of course you wouldn't! I was just gonna say...you've been sick off and on lately, and then you disappeared into the woods, and now you're finally getting your memories back..." He sighed. "I just...it's all just strange, you know? It's stressful." Where was he going with this again?

"It's more than strange." Ethan agreed. "And very stressful.." He'd decided that, before telling anyone (besides Benny) he'd just write and draw everything he'd seen and felt down on paper.

"And E?"

"Yeah?"

"If you ever just need someone to be there...if your ever afraid, or, if you ever need anything...you know where to find me." Benny was trying desperately not to sound too sappy. But he had to let his friend know that he would be there for him, for anything.

"Thanks, Benny…..same here."

As Benny watched his best friend continue his work, his thoughts drifted bitterly to the psychic downstairs. Cody. Benny's eyes narrowed.

What was up with him?

_'What's up with me?' _Benny thought. _'He's only trying to help...he seems friendly enough. He and Senna helped out a lot when Ethan was attacked...I should feel more grateful.' _Well, Benny was grateful. Of course he was. He would've been grateful for anyone helping his best friend in a time of need. It's just that Benny didn't much like the looks of fondness Cody and Ethan seemed to give each other.

Well, they did seem to get along well...and Cody had been making attempts to make friends with Benny as well. Benny had to admit that he wasn't a bad guy, and he actually seemed pretty cool. So why didn't he particularly like him?

**XOXOXOXOXOXOXOX**

**AN: ****How was that, peeps? DROP ME A REVIEW! I feel like this is moving too fast, and getting a little too tense, but I'll try and work on that...it just seems like the style is a little more different than it was at the beginning.**

**6.3.13**

**Much love and appreciation to anyone who reads and enjoys this story!**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six: Definitely Not Normal

_**WARNING: **_**Male/Male "M" rated sexiness, if you can't handle the heat, get off of my story baby.**

**VERY FIRST DISCLAIMER: **I guess I haven't had one before because I didn't think I needed one. I obviously don't own MBV. If I did, Ethan and Benny would stop denying fate and get together, and also, on Double Negatives, Ethan would've had an evil double. OMG and Rory too...that would've been awesome and so hot!

**AN: ****I personally think I could've done a better job with this chapter….mostly, I had writers block while writing this, but I managed, somehow. Tell me what you think! Reviews are love, darlings! Sorry if this is moving too fast to keep up with x/ and I apologize in advance for any errors, and OMG, I'm telling you….you guys are geniuses. **

**XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX**

"Was it like..."

"I can't even describe what it looked like..I didn't exactly see it clearly. All I saw was that it was big, and tall...and muscular looking, with spiky fur." Ethan raised his drink to his lips, taking a sip before adding. "Red, spiky fur."

"What about the girl?" Benny asked, having opted to discuss the memories with Ethan rather than reading them from notes. "Was she hot?" Ethan scowled.

"Yeah, she was a little hot, and she was a woman...in her twenties, it looked like. She had these really bright blue eyes and black hair. She had a buzz cut on one size, and the other was cut short but spiked up..." Benny thought for a while, making a face.

"And lightning?" He took a rather large bite of his pizza. "Wasn't there something about lightning?"

"This is gonna sound weird.." Ethan made a face. "And close your mouth when you chew!"

"When has anything you've been telling me not sounded weird?" Benny asked, ignoring Ethan's other comment, and Ethan couldn't exactly argue with him.

"The electricity was like...in her hair. Like, it was running through the spikes."

"Wow that did sound weird..."

"Benny!" Ethan grimaced, none too fond of being made fun of.

"What?" He asked, leaning back in his chair. "It did! How often do you hear something like that?" Grandma had let them out of the house easily enough, even with Ethan's unpredictable flashbacks and the fact that they hadn't yet shared a detail of the memories with them. They weren't exactly done talking about it themselves.

"Anyway, I only caught maybe two seconds of her, from her shoulders up. The other vision was that other…thing." Ethan took a bite of his own pizza.

"The monster?" Benny asked in a careful tone. He knew that it scared Ethan, and didn't want to be insensitive about it. Honestly, just hearing about it made shivers down Benny's spine.

"Yeah.." Ethan replied, and then sighed. "I know your doing that again."

"Doing what?"

"The self-blaming." Ethan said, and looked around them to make sure no one was listening. Surprisingly, there was hardly any other kids there, just a few others, none close enough to eavesdrop.

"I'm not self-blaming!" Benny protested, and then faltered. "Well, can you blame me?"

"No." Ethan's eyes were honest. "_No_, I don't blame you...it's gotta stop, Benny. None of it was your fault, how many times do I need to say it?"

"A lot more..."

"Aw, Benny."

"Can we not do this right now, E?" Benny pleaded. "I don't exactly want to break down in the middle of-" He realized what he'd said. It was true that the past few days had been an emotional roller coaster...never before had he found himself always so ready to cry. He hated it.

"Yeah..." Ethan said, beginning to look guilty himself. "Let's just get going, kay?" He gave a tight smile. "We'll talk more about the memories later. Evil Dead starts in like fifteen minutes, we should go get seats."

"Okay." Benny stood up, dumping their empty plates into the trash bin "Lets go."

Ethan didn't want to admit to himself that all he really wanted to do was make sure Benny didn't have a guilty thought on his mind. _'God, I'm turning into such a girl.' _He thought and glumly walked aside Benny as they made their way through the mall, towards the movie theater.

Ethan found it kind of weird that over the past few days, he and his best friend had spent most of their time in each others arms. Either crying or comforting. They'd never been so physically or emotionally affectionate before, never said such soothing things to each other since they were little.

Why?

It was an odd feeling...but a nice one. Nice because it felt great to know that there was someone to count on to always be there...that much they'd covered. But strange because, isn't that what girls usually did? Males just didn't do things like that. Guys didn't normally do touchy-feely things.

Then again, Benny and he weren't like other guys. They definitely weren't normal.

**XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX**

The hotel room, a town over from Whitechapel, was spacey and clean. The two girls in the room sat with the TV on some random nature channel.

"I'd just hate to break them apart." A pretty blonde said as she sipped water from a glass.

"If all goes well, we might not have to." Another woman slipped a leather jacket off and threw it to the ground by the door. "But it doesn't seem like it, does it?" She frowned.

"You mean the little incident earlier?" The blonde grimaced. "Yeah, that was bad."

"In a weeks time, I should have regained enough power to keep my hold on the memories." The woman kicked off her boots also, frowning.

"A week? Tasha he-"

"I know! A week is a long time to hold off on something like this." The raven haired girl bit her lip, coming to sit down at the small table in the kitchen area. "But Katee, you know I've never been able to cast spells too well. Once my energy is drained, it takes a long time to get it back. I, for one, can't just pull magic out of thin air."

"Didn't you tell us once about an energy-sharing spell?" Katee asked, looking for a faster solution. "You can-"

"No!" Tasha grimaced. "No, no! I know what your thinking, and I refuse to take anyone else's energy but my own."

"Not even from me?"

"Not even yours."

Katee looked at her in disbelief. "I bounce back from injuries a lot quicker than you do!"

"Nope. End of story." There was a pause.

"Not even from a big, powerful vampire like Jason?" Katee asked, grinning now. "He should be back soon."

"Especially not!" Tasha found herself smiling back. "He'd have something to hold over me...and where'd he go anyway?"

"I don't know." Katee had a thoughtful look. "He just came crashing in about an hour ago, grabbed a blood bag, and went rushing out the door saying he'd be back later." Then her expression softened a little. "How's our little vampire bate? You did go into Whitechapel, didn't you?"

"Yeah." Tasha smiled a little. "He's fine, if not a little tired." She got up and grabbed a can out of the mini fridge. "Him and the Weir kid went and caught a movie." She laughed. "I wonder what kind of spell the little sorcerer had to use to get them into the movie. I wish I could just throw magic around like that."

"Oh, so do I." The door opened and then slammed shut as a man walked in, squinting in the bright light. "Jeez, why does it always have to be so bright everywhere?" He grimaced, slipping on a pair of shades.

"Good evening to you too." Tasha rolled her eyes and wet her fingers at the tap, touching up the spikes that sat atop her head.

"I have a reason to be snappy." He scowled and sat down on the love seat that occupied a corner of the living area.

"What?" Katee asked from across the room, now lying down on one of the beds. "I'm guessing your field trip didn't go as planned?"

"Nope." Jason ran his hands through his shaggy blonde hair, tugging at it. "I went out to find an important magical object that could possibly help us along with the whole Sylvan thing. I'd just found out through the beast himself." He scowled. "No luck."

"What magical object?" Tasha asked, getting up and pouring herself a drink from the liquor on the counter. "And when did you talk to Sylvan?" She asked half-jokingly.

"Well, the asshole doesn't exactly hide." Jason rolled his eyes. "It was easy enough to eavesdrop on him behind an abandoned building. I heard him and one of his goons talking about a magical artifact that's been moved around throughout the centuries. Not many people know about it, but it's in this old house in the middle of the woods." He paused. "So I came back, grabbed some blood and went to go out and find it before they did." He scowled, and accepted the drink held out to him by Tasha.

"So what happened?" Katee asked. "Did you find it?"

"I found it." He frowned. "I just couldn't reach it. An old lady lived there." He glanced over at Katee, and then at Tasha. "You know how I can usually go into anyone's house...because of under the conditions that I was turned?" He cringed. "But not this house."

"Are you sure it was the right place?" Tasha asked. "Who knows if it actually exists?" She scowled. "Sylvan's full of crap...no offense, Katee."

"None taken." She replied.

"It's there." Jason said with confidence. "I know it's there. I just need to find someone else to get it for us." He said and frowned. They could be there already, with their own way in. He just needed to find someone else. Someone human...

"Why can't you just go in while she's away? You're faster and stronger than we are." Katee asked, thinking the spell was connected to the woman, and that he could just overpower the spell while it was weak. He'd done similar things before.

"The spell that surrounds the house prevents me from entering. For all the wrong reasons, we can't get in." The spell was designed to keep away the supernatural. "We need someone else."

The Tasha was suddenly standing up from her seat on the kitchen counter. "Shhh!" She hissed, anger in her eyes. "Someone's listening!" And then she was drawing symbols in the air with her fingers, whispering incantations. "They were listening in on us..for fifteen seconds, at least."

"They have someone new?" Jason's eyes widened, then narrowed. "Someone who can listen in on our conversations?"

"So they know we know." Katee said, standing up. "Who should we take? We need someone human." She glanced around. "Tash? Your persuasion could come in handy with the cute hotel assistant manager downstairs."

"I could." She looked sheepish. "But I would probably faint right after."

"Ugh." Jason put his head in his hands. "They're probably already there."

"They can't get in anyway." Tasha said, uncomfortable, but trying to be soothing.

"No matter." Jason said, getting up in a blur and appearing in the now open doorway. "I'll find someone on the way. You guys stay here, and...don't worry."

The two girls looked at each other as Jason slammed the door.

"Should we check out the other vampires?" Katee asked. "Their about as observant as a slab of meat." She grinned. "Which sounds really good at the moment...I haven't hunted since the accident."

"Ewww.' Tasha laughed. "Yeah, we might as well." She took a final drink and set the glass down by the sink.

"Those two blondes are sure to be lurking around Whitechapel." Katee said as she got up and grabbed her own car keys. "Let's start at their local mall, while Ethan and Benny are still busy."

"Sounds like a plan...I don't know about them, or that other blonde..." Tasha scowled as they made their way out of their room into the hallways. "But that goth one...might be just a little bit of trouble."

"You would know all about goth trouble makers, wouldn't you, Tasha?" Katee teased.

Tasha only smiled, letting a few sparks of electricity run through the tall spikes in her inky hair.

**XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX**

"I don't think we're supposed to be in here." Senna glanced around nervously. "Cody! She might come back!"

"Shh! Only if you don't shut your big mouth!" He scowled. "Help me up, will you?"

"Ugh." Senna scowled. "I swear, you are such a big _kid_!" She allowed him to step onto her intertwined hands and hoisted him up onto the attic above. There'd been no latter, and it was too high up for even Cody to reach.

"Come on!" He'd pulled himself up, and held down his hands for her. "Before someone sees!" As if there were anyone around to see them.

"I'm not going up into some filthy attic!" Senna hissed. "Evelyn's gonna be wondering where we are!" She could hear Cody rustling around. "Be careful.." She heard -and felt- a heavy crash. "_Cody_!"

"I'm fine." Cody could be heard pushing some heavy object around. Then he poked his head out over the opening and shook some white powder from his hair. "Well, I got what I came here for."

"You think it's something important to her?" Senna asked as Cody once again disappeared from view, referring to the old lady that had left the house just before they entered. She'd driven away in a rusty old car, but worry still sat in Senna's chest. What if she decided to come back before they could get out?

"I don't have time to worry about that." More shoving.

"What is it?" What if she noticed it gone.

"It's an anchor!"

"What?"

"I'll explain later." He dropped onto the ground beside her, holding a miniature glass vase in one hand. "All I know is.." He stuck it in a pocket in his trench coat. "This is what they wanted, and now I have it."

"Who exactly is they?" Senna asked as they made their way out of the broken down house and back into the forest. "And what if she notices its gone?"

"Whoever I heard plotting a few minutes ago." Cody said and they got onto the motorcycle they'd left there. "And _please_, it looked like no one had been up there in years."

"You can bring anything back to life, can't you, Cody?" Senna grinned, not for the first time admiring the old bike. "Even something like this." She secured her hands around her friends slim waist as they sped off. Cody had brought this back from their last trip to his home town. With a little tinkering, he'd gotten his teenage ride running again. It wasn't even that worn down.

"I try."

Once they reached Grandma's house, they found her in the back yard, planting in her garden. An excited Cody practically drug her inside and forced her to sit down at the table, showing her the object he'd retrieved.

"It looks like a normal vase, Cody." Grandma said gently, not wanting to let him down. It really did just look like a tall, skinny, glass vase. No unusual vibes came from it, and nothing looked particularly odd. Nothing special about it. "I'm not sure what your trying to tell me."

"I was in Starbucks, buying a coffee, and Cody decided it was the perfect time to do a little psychic searching." Senna said. "And then, the next thing I know, he'd bounding into the store, knocking over a bunch of magazine racks, and asking random people for a pen and paper." Senna scowled. "I think they almost kicked us out."

"Nah, I'm too intimidating to pick a fight with." Cody said, taking the case back and stroking it.

"I think you're right." Senna grinned. "They told me 'no charge' when I tried paying. I think they were just anxious for us to leave."

"Anyway." Cody said, placing the glass thing in the middle of the table. "I was sitting on the sidewalk, meditating, and suddenly it came to me. The voices."

"Ummm..." Grandma stared at Cody. "Are you-"

"Yes, I'm sure." Cody looked annoyed. "They were whispers. They were barely there, but I heard them. Two females and one male. No one was around to say anything."

"What did you hear?" Grandma asked, interested now that she could see Cody was serious.

"The first person to speak was the guy. It was hard to tell, but I think he sounded young." Cody's eye brows furrowed. "He said _'I know it's there. I just need to find someone else to get it for us. Before they do._'" He paused. "And then the next one spoke, a girl. She said _'Why can't you just go in when she's away? You're faster and stronger than we are.'_ The guy answered, _'The spell that surrounds the house prevents me from entering. For all the wrong reasons, we can't get in. We need someone else.'_" Cody scowled. "And then the third voice, another girl, said _'Shhh! Someone's listening!' _Then I couldn't hear anymore."

"Well, it sounds genuine." Grandma said, thoughtful now.

"Mhm." Cody took a drink of some tea grandma had gotten him. "And then, yes, I ran inside Starbucks to get Senna and I drove into the forest to find the house." He smiled. "Everything I had was telling me where to go. I'd know it when I found it." Cody threw his hands out. "And here it is. Found it in the attic of a creaky old house in the middle of nowhere."

"Just as the old lady pulled out of her driveway." Senna scowled. "And Cody came back down with a bunch of white powder in his hair!"

"All's good." Cody said. "It's gone now, isn't it?" He took another long drink. "It was only flour. A busted bag next to a bunch of canned foods."

"Why did you say it was an anchor?" Senna asked, examining the small glass vase. "It looks nothing like an anchor.."

"It _my _anchor." Cody replied. "The only anchor I have to hold on to for information about what's making the town go all funky. Ethan, too. I have a feeling this might concern his attacker...or attackers." His eyes never once left the vase. "It's the only thing I have to go by, so far, except that box and the fur."

"Where are the boys?" Senna asked suddenly. "You're car wasn't in the driveway." She remembered.

"They went to the mall."

"What?" Cody asked, eyes widening. "With Ethan's condition-"

"I cast a few healing spells on him, and placed more than a few protective spells on them both." Grandma said gently. "Of course I want them to be safe, where I can keep an eye on them, but they've been ripped out of normality for long enough. It's best to let them get back to doing teenage things instead of submitting them to interrogation and house arrest everyday." At the understanding but still worried glance Cody and Senna shared, she smiled. "Nothing is going to happen to them in the few short hours they're gone."

"So...where are they?" Asked Cody uncomfortably.

"Oh, their at the mall seeing some chick flick." Grandma waved it off. "So." Grandma sighed, once again taking the vase into her hands. "I'll do some research myself. See what I can uncover about this apparently important piece of glass."

**XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX**

"That slimy little-"

"Jason, calm down." Tasha rolled her eyes. "We'll get it back, we just have to be patient."

"The psychic has it!" His eyes flashed a brilliant yellow. "So the spell doesn't count psychics as magical beings." He sneered the word. "Go figure. It just has to be as inconvenient as possible!"

"He's not our enemy." Katee said in a small voice from a few feet away. They were in the forest behind Benny's house.

"Not yet he isn't." Jason scowled. "Once they find out what we are, they'll hunt us. They'll think we're the ones they have to worry about. They don't know the half of it." Tasha bit her lip.

"When we come for Ethan..." Katee frowned. "All their pieces'll just fit together, won't they? They will turn on us." Her eyes widened. "They don't have a clue what's going on." She glanced around, nervously. "They'll turn on him too, won't they?! We can't let them find out!"

"They want to protect him too." Jason reminded her. "They want him to get better and continue with his old life. They...well, I don't think they'd be that eager to cage him up." He started to sound unsure. "But then again, who knows how they'll react?"

"Any chance of Ethan's life remaining relatively normal was blown the night they attacked." Tasha's blue eyes darkened. "How many days of that life does he have left? It's already affecting him, isn't it?"

"A few days?" Katee shrugged. "Maybe five, if we're lucky. It's already been a week since that night. He's bound to start seriously questioning the changes sometime soon."

"Speaking of which," Jason turned to his spike-haired friend. "How long's it gonna be until you can get a grip on those memories? They're beginning to affect his waking life." He frowned, sadness reaching his eyes. "I heard the screaming earlier. Their coming back to him in.." He frowned. "A very odd way."

"Ummm...a week?"

"A _week_?" The two blonde's eyes widened.

"He might not have that long, Tash!" Katee exclaimed.

"Can't you at least make them come in dreams?" Jason asked.

"Magic doesn't just return automatically!" Tasha grimaced. "Well, mine doesn't, anyway. It takes time."

"What about that energy draining spell?" Katee asked for a second time.

"What makes you think I'd agree to it a second time?" Tasha scowled. "I told you...once you're fully recovered, I might give it a shot, but not now...that spell takes more than your physical energy, and I'm not sure I want to put you through that just yet..."

"Me, then." Jason offered, holding out his hand. "Nothing's wrong with me."

"Uh huh." Tasha smiled and then shame and guilt crossed her features. "I wouldn't feel right doing it. And usually when I get that feeling, bad things happen if I ignore it. Give me three days-no, two days, and maybe I'll have gained back enough energy to help the little damsel in distress."

"We might not have that long." Jason softly repeated Katee's earlier words.

"I don't like this any more than either of you, but we can't risk having any more energy drained out of us...not right now. It's better that I remain weak for a while, as long as you two are getting strong." An internal conflict shone in Tasha's eyes and Katee sighed.

"Alright." She said, throwing her hands up. "It was a good idea, anyway." Tasha rolled her eyes and Jason came to put an arm around them both.

"Well, ladies, I'm off to find us a new ally...a human ally, maybe. I have someone in mind."

"How long will you be?" Tasha asked.

"Hopefully not too long." Jason replied. "Maybe...five hours. Think you can hold up until then?"

"We're not completely helpless." Tasha scowled. "I can still kick evil ass without any stinkin' magic." Jason grinned.

"Alrighty then." The his face switched to something more somber. "We need to approach this from every angle...if something goes wrong.…" He pursed his lips and then shook his head slightly. "This is already a mess! Things can go seriously bad if Ethan looks like he's turned into something dangerous. If he's seen with the wrong people..."

"He is dangerous." Katee stated. "Or, he will be, at least, within the next few days or so."

"He's not evil." Jason corrected. "_That's _what counts. But if his family and friends start to think that he is, things could end very badly for him."

"We're not complete idiots, Jace." Katee rolled her eyes. "We know how to keep a low profile."

"Then I'll be back." Jason started to head off in the direction they came. "Call me later and tell me what's up." Then, he blurred deeper into the woods and out of sight.

"Well now what do we do?" Tasha asked, sighing and squinting as sunlight peeked through the clouds above. "Do we keep stalking the grandma and friends? Try and find out what the magical item does?"

Katee opened her mouth like she was about to answer, and then closed it again. Abruptly, she snapped her head in the general direction of the Weir house and in three seconds, she had grabbed Tasha and ran to the back yard of the house, behind some shrubs.

"What is it?" Tasha asked, trying to look through the leaves. Then she caught sight of the unfamiliar car in the driveway and the man getting out. "Oh." She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, trying to keep herself from becoming mad or annoyed. She whipped her sleek digital camera from her pocket and steadily snapped a HD picture.

"Yep." Katee said, kneeling down and watching the man also as he made his way to the front of the house and out of sight. "Someone new."

**XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX**

"E!" Benny shook Ethan's shoulder. Someone brushed past them trying to make their way out of the isle and murmured a soft 'sorry'. "_E_! Get up!" The shorter brunet had fallen asleep sometime at the beginning of the movie. Benny himself had fallen asleep a few minutes after him and had only woken up when the credits began to play.

"Five more minutes, Benny." Ethan murmured. "Level ten..."

"Come on, E, the movie's over!" Benny whispered. The mob heading out of the theater was getting thinner and thinner. "It's five o' clock!"

"Hm?" Ethan's eyes opened suddenly, and Benny couldn't help smiling at the sight of his best friend just waking up, blinking confusedly around the room, sleep still in his eyes. "Huh?"

"The movie's over, E." Benny said, nudging his friend's arm. "We fell asleep. It's five o' clock."

"Can we eat somewhere?" Ethan asked, placing a hand on his stomach. "I'm hungry now."

"I was just thinking the same thing." Benny sat up and stretched. They'd fallen asleep at the very beginning of the movie, but Benny had woken up about ten minutes before Ethan. "You gonna make me carry you, or what?" Benny asked half-jokingly as he Ethan continued to sit there. Then, Benny thought that Ethan might just make Benny carry him, and regretted his words.

But as Ethan smiled and held out his arms, something in Benny's chest stirred, and all of a sudden the thought popped into his mind that he hadn't given Ethan a genuine piggyback ride in a long time...and he wanted to. Something like sadness ached in his chest immediately after and Benny decided that it wouldn't do any harm to carry his best friend around the mall just for the hell of it.

"Come on, then." Benny suddenly found himself on one knee in the main isle next to Ethan's seat.

"What?" Ethan sounded surprised and Benny smiled.

"Come on, E."

"Benny, I was just kiddi-"

"I'm not!" He held out an arm and motioned for Ethan to get up.

"I might hurt-you might throw out your back!" Ethan got up, but walked around Benny until he was in the isle, a few feet away.

"I'm not old!" Benny laughed. "Just hurry up." He stood up a little bit, on two feet, but crouched slightly. "The janitors coming!" It was true. Benny could hear someone sweeping around the carpeted hallways.

With much reluctance, and a flushed face, Ethan gingerly leant on Benny, who was sturdier than expected, and placed his arms around his neck.

_'What am I doing?' _Ethan thought, blushing as Benny lifted him up and had to restrain himself from squeaking as he was forced to either hold onto Benny and wrap his legs around his waist or fall to the floor. .

"I won't drop you." Benny assured, and Ethan scowled, because Benny had let him fall before, but hung on nonetheless.

As they made their way out of the theaters, they came into the main area where there were arcade games and concession stands. From the comments made from the other movie-goers, they could tell that _Evil Dead_ actually hadn't been that good of a movie, and it was more gross than it was scary. Not that they would know...they fell asleep right after the previews, and only woke up when the movie was over and people had started to get up and walk around.

From the comments made from the people around them, the two weren't something they seen everyday. There weren't many people in the mall that day, but there were still people who they caught the attention of, who gave them weird looks. Some people straight out stared and some people smiled, and some people rolled their eyes and shook their heads. It made no difference to Benny, who only held Ethan's legs tighter to his waist and urged him to hang on closer by tipping this way and that every now and again (admittedly, he almost lost balance more than a few times) but hearing Ethan protest and try to hold back his laughter was worth it.

"Oh my god! Benny! I'm gonna fall!" Benny laughed at Ethan's girly panic as he clung tighter. "We're gonna _fall_!" He smiled as Ethan laughed and ignored the states of others, only stumbling to the side again, making Ethan yelp in surprise.

For some odd reason, Benny wished he had taken more time on the way to the small coffee shop than he did. Every time Ethan tightened his grip on him, it felt good. This was the best he's felt in a few weeks, actually...just being close to someone.

_'Not _someone_.' _Benny corrected himself. _'Ethan.'_

God, he was becoming such a girl...why was he so emotional lately? He liked to blame it in the fact that Ethan had been hurt...on account of him. And he was never going to let that happen again. Despite Ethan assuring him many times that he didn't blame him for anything, Benny still felt that it was his fault...and he would never stop trying to make it up to him.

So when he was forced to let a still blushing and unsteady Ethan down at their booth, he felt strangely cold.

"What'll it be, boys?" Asked an older waitress who came with a pen and notepad almost immediately after their arrival. They ordered their food, opting for simple cheeseburgers with fries and a soda, and just relaxed, watching people pass in an out of the coffee shop for a few minutes.

"Hey, you know, we could catch another movie." Benny spoke up suddenly and Ethan snorted, laughing a little bit just as the waitress with their drinks came by.

"We just went to see a movie, Benny." He sipped his Pepsi. "You fell asleep, remember?"

"_You _fell asleep." Benny narrowed his eyes playfully. He vaguely remembered Ethan falling asleep just as the movie began, and then himself falling asleep just about ten minutes later. "Remember? You refused to get up and told me I had to carry you all the way here?" He seen Ethan's cheeks tint red.

"I told you I wasn't serious." He made a face.

"I almost threw my back out!"

"You said you weren't old!" Ethan pouted slightly as Benny read a text from his phone and quickly tapped out a reply. "Did I really hurt your back?"

"Of course not, E." Benny rolled his eyes and smiled slightly, slipping his phone back into his pocket. "What do you weigh? One twenty five?"

"One forty three!" Ethan defended himself just as a waitress came to the booth with their orders.

"Anyway, Rory just texted me asking if we wanted to catch a movie." He took a huge bite of his burger. "What do you think?"

"I'm thinking I don't know if Rory could sit through a whole movie." Ethan took a small bite of a fry off of his plate. "And we might just end up falling asleep again."

"After all that napping we did?" Taking a long drink of his soda, Benny glanced over at a clock on the wall, then got a thoughtful look on his face. He studied Ethan thoughtfully as he took a bite of his cheeseburger. "But then again, you have been tired a lot lately..."

"I'm fine, Benny." Ethan took another bite, bigger this time, along with a couple fries. "I'm just saying, all the movies playing this week look boring, we shouldn't even have wasted twenty dollars on those tickets."

"What tickets?" Benny laughed and Ethan couldn't help smiling, though he still felt a little guilty about using magic to get their way in.

"I'm surprised no one noticed there were kids under eighteen sitting next to them." Ethan shrugged. "They probably just didn't care."

"Pff. They don't care about us." Benny waved his hand dismissively, smiling, and then once again found himself watching his best friend eat. "Are you sure your okay, E?"

"Sure enough." Ethan replied carelessly, not seeing how the very idea of Ethan not feeling well made Benny's chest tighten.

"Really, E...are you sure you're feeling alright?" Benny asked.

"I'm really sure Benny." The way Ethan was eating -like he hadn't eaten anything all day- didn't help his nerves. He was again reminded of his friends odd sleeping and eating patterns.

"I know I've asked a thousand and one times before, and I know I'm probably being a pest-" Benny bit his lip and wouldn't meet Ethan's eyes for more than a fraction of a second. "But if you aren't feeling up to it..." Benny trailed off nervously. The last thing he wanted was for Ethan to suddenly pass out on him or start having an episode in the middle of the mall.

"I'm not tired anymore." Ethan shrugged. "All I'm saying is I think we can find something better to do than sit through another movie." Ethan offered a tiny smile. "I know your worried and everything..and maybe I am being kind of weird lately, but I don't think it's anything serious."

"You've been tired a lot lately." Benny voiced his thoughts in a soft voice. "And you've been eating weird. One minute your starving, the next your throwing it up, and now your even sleepwalking into the forest."

"I know..." Ethan bit his lip. "But I still don't think it's anything to worry about...I mean, it doesn't happen all the time, and grandma says its probably nothing important." He offered a tiny smile. "You shouldn't worry so much."

"I can't help it." Benny tried to smile back. "But if you ever feel tired or sick or anything, just tell me, and we can leave." Benny took a fry off if his plate and bit into it.

"I promise."

**XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX**

A few dozen fries, a milkshake, and a couple of burgers later, the pair sat on the hood of Benny's grandma's car, in the back of the mall.

"You know what you need to watch for?" Benny asked, taking a long drink of his cappuccino. Something Ethan noticed was that Benny almost had to force the words out.

_'An exceptionally awesome birthday present for you?' _Ethan thought dryly, his mind now on his best friend's birthday, which was only a month and a half away. "What?"

"Sarah, dude." Ethan noticed how Benny said her name sort of uncomfortably, but tried to hide it. "I heard she broke up with that neanderthal jock."

"Jake?" Ethan asked.

"Yeah." Ethan also caught how Benny tried to hide his discomfort under a sly smile. "Grandma's been talking to me about how Sarah's been asking where you were the last two weeks. If your okay and everything." His smile slipped. "Man we've missed a lot of school."

"I haven't even thought of school." Ethan ran his hands through his hair. "Oh my god, did we really miss two weeks?"

"Oh, it's alright." Benny assured. "We only missed a couple of days, since they had to shut school down on account of an infestation of an unknown species of lizard. They say they have no idea who put the first two in the air vents, but apparently, they've been multiplying like crazy." Benny smirked.

"Is grandma okay with that?" Ethan laughed. "They're not really dangerous, are they?"

"Who said it was me?" The young wizard asked, and held up his hands. "All I'm saying is, the person who thought of it was a genius." He grinned. "Anyway, school starts again in about a week."

"Awesome." Ethan rolled his eyes. "So what about Sarah?" He was surprised the mention of Sarah didn't brighten him up like it used to. "She's been talking to my parents?" He raised and eyebrow "Grandma's been gossiping?"

"Every old lady gossips." Benny had that look again. "And yeah, she's all concerned and everything." Benny stepped off the hood and picked up a rock, skipping it across the pavement. "Maybe she's finally realizing you're better than those jocks."

"I didn't know you felt so strongly about it." Ethan laughed, and Benny rolled his eyes. "But I don't know...I actually don't think I like Sarah very much anymore."

"What?" Benny turned to face Ethan, wide-eyed.

"What?!" Someone shouted and suddenly Benny wasn't alone on the pavement.

"Ah!" Benny yelped in surprise as a hyper blonde suddenly flashed into sight only a foot away from him.

"Vampire Ninja strikes again!" Rory grabbed onto Benny's shirt as he stumbled backward. "You should really watch where your stepping."

"Rory!" Benny yelled in slight anger. "Don't do that! I'm gonna die of a heart attack one of these times!"

"Were you stalking?" Ethan asked, clutching his chest as he stood near the drivers door. He'd almost fallen off the hood in his surprise.

"You have a strong heart Benny, and no Ethan I wasn't stalking." Rory let go of Benny and looked upwards, his blue eyes almost fluorescent in the sunlight. "I was just flying overhead looking for a squirrel or something, and I saw you two." He held out his hands. "It was completely by chance that I was hunting in this area and bumped into you."

"In the middle of town over the mall?" Benny asked. "After asking me if we wanted to catch a movie?"

"Yep." The blonde nodded, smiling, and suddenly his head snapped towards the woods behind the mall. "Did you hear that?" His eyebrows furrowed.

"No." Ethan answered and Benny shook his head as they both looked as well. Then Benny shook his head, rolling his eyes.

"Lunch?" He asked, pulling out his cellphone. "By the way, you have been getting our messages right?" Benny glanced up at the vampire. "You know what's been going on? With E?"

"No, not lunch! And yeah, sorry about all that Ethan." Rory gave an apologetic look to Ethan and then continued looking in the general direction he was before. "But seriously guys, do you hear that?"

"I don't hear anything!" Benny exclaimed, now fully facing the direction Rory was looking to. "What does it sound like?"

"I don't know..." Rory looked on edge. "It's gone now, but that was weird...can we go inside now?"

"What was it?" Ethan asked, now interested. Was this actually scaring Rory?

"It sounded like dogs..." Rory answered, and Ethan realized as his fangs slipped out from his lips, he wasn't completely scared. There was a gleam in his eye he hadn't seen before. "Really big dogs...or one dog? Or….maybe not, I don't know. Something big."

"A big dog?" Benny frowned. "There are dogs running all over Whitechapel, Rory. There's animals everywhere."

"I guess." Rory turned away, seeming to forget all about it as he set his gaze on the mall's back entrance, not far from where they were sitting. "So, movie?"

"We just watched a movie!" Ethan whined, and Benny smiled offhandedly.

"Who said anything about these movies?" Rory asked, looking at Ethan. "'Jacuzzi Time Machine' comes on at seven, and my mom's out all night!" He showed them his digital watch, reading '6:27 pm'.

Benny couldn't get them into grandma's car fast enough.

**XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO**

"I swear! If he doesn't keep his filthy hands off them-"

"Nothing's gonna happen!" Tasha soothed Katee from where they perched in a tree behind the Weir house, well concealed. "We'll get to Ethan before anyone else does, including this poser." She scowled. "Really, who does he think he is? Even the old lady can tell he's bad news."

"Should we get rid of him?" Katee asked in distaste. "The others won't be so quick to hurt the boys, but this one gives me the chills." She grimaced uncomfortably. "He'll ask questions second...why did she even bring him here?" They watched the tall man walk around the kitchen through the windows.

"Well, he's human, I think..." Tasha glared as the man peered out through the windows into the woods. "Human with a keen sense. He knows something's up." She glanced over at her blonde friend. "Still, we have nothing to be afraid of...especially you. He could be out cold before he sets foot a half a mile from you." Katee scowled.

"I'm not that good." She adjusted herself on the branch. "But, that's the general truth. He's nothing." She looked over at Tasha and smiled. "Should we go do some more digging on the town artifacts? I think Jason said he wanted us to look at the grounds near an old forgotten park not far from here."

"How far is 'not far'?" Tasha asked. "How long will it take? I'm tired." Katee shrugged, motioning behind them with their heads.

"About a mile and a half, straight back." She answered. "I think, anyway. Really, it's not that far, a short walk."

"Really?" The black haired girls eyebrows furrowed. "Wow, you'd think the grandma would've discovered it by now. Or one of the others."

"I dunno." Katee shrugged. "Maybe she isn't looking. She seems smart enough not to. It could be dangerous...as for the others, I don't know. Their senses are too dull? Maybe they just haven't been looking hard enough. But I do know we have to get there and find it before anyone else does."

"You sound like Jason." Tasha smirked. "Oh we'll, lets go check it out. Do we need shovels?"

"I got the digging covered." Katee smiled. "You feeling up to it?"

"It's not like we can risk leaving and coming back later." Tasha looked back at the house through the window and jerked back as she realized the tall man now had binoculars. But they were well hidden, high up in an oak.

"Or we could get the artifact the psychic one took." Katee scowled. "Is he the reason that man is here? I told you he was going to be trouble."

"What does it do anyway?" Tasha asked. "It just looked like a vase to me."

"We would know what it did if he hadn't taken it...wanna give it a try? I don't exactly think we can get in and out without either being hurt or discovered. They'll probably put Ethan on a constant watch again." Katee grimaced. "But we can try,"

"Lets just go to the park..." Tasha was becoming agitated. There was a creepy feeling in her chest for a few moments before it subsided. "Then we'll check on the boys...are they still at the mall?" She glanced down at her watch.

"Six thirty?" Katee asked. "I'm not sure...I think their movie must've ended by now."

"Okay..." She took one last look at the house, preparing to estimate the miles it took to get them from the Weir house to the park. "Let's go."

**AN: ****So, kids, this is the sixth chapter, and THANK YOU to those who've reviewed so far, love you guys! BTW, I don't know when I'll be able to update again Dx I still don't have my own computer. But anyhow, drop me a review! **

**Really, tell me what you think! What are your ideas? Again, I'm not sure if I'm completely satisfied with this chapter or not, but I guess I'll just make it up in the next one. Xoxox**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven: Whats Happening To Me?**

**_WARNING_: Well, guys...you've pretty much caught on, right? This story is a slash story (male/male) and will take a turn for gay epicness in the future. This story will slowly approach the 'M' rating I promised everyone.**

**XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX**

Over the next few weeks or so, Ethan's condition got progressively...worse.

The good news is, that 'the shower incident' was the first and last of the excruciating visions...the bad news? The waking visions were replaced immediately by horrible night terrors. Jane had woken up one night to Ethan shouting in his sleep, and found him tossing and turning in his bed. It was amazing how his parents didn't wake up.

Ethan knew Jane wasn't stupid. She knew something was wrong with him, even if he was trying to convince himself that there wasn't. From then on, he made a serious attempt to stop himself from reacting so violently to the night terrors. When they occurred, Ethan knew he was dreaming...the problem was, it felt so real, and it was utterly terrifying. And there wasn't a thing he could do to wake himself up. So, he just had to try his best to stop struggling in his sleep, especially on the nights he stayed over at Benny and Grandma's house. He didn't want to put any more weight on their shoulders than there already was.

There had been changes in his eating and sleeping patterns as well. One minute he could be absolutely starving, and the next he could be throwing it all up. It didn't happen everyday, of course, but it happened often enough over the weeks to worry the Weir's. What worried them also was the fact that Ethan appeared to be developing insomnia.

They had taken its toll on him.

And now, the young Seer was currently sitting in the elderly nurse's office, trying to keep himself from falling asleep in one of her chairs.

"I'm not quite sure what else to tell you hon." She said, handing him an empty cup with tylenol and gestured to the sink. "Have you told your parents about this?"

"I don't think it's anything serious." Ethan lied through his teeth as he got water from the tap and swallowed down the painkillers. "I think it's just the flu, or something."

"Could be." The nurse mumbled, scribbling something down on a piece of paper. "I'm sending you home, sweetie. There's no way your making it through the rest of today."

"Okay." Ethan replied simply. In truth, _he_ didn't quite think he could make it through the rest of the day...he was just so _tired_. And hungry...but he felt sick to his stomach at the same time, and had a massive headache, along with some muscle aches. It had been going on for about two weeks now.

And then of course, there were the dreams..

"I'm going to give you this." The nurse handed him a box of Tylenol, and a roll of antacids with a note. "The paper is for your parents." She explained. "I really don't know what to make of your illness Mr. Morgan, but if you keep feeling like this for more than a day or so, I strongly suggest you see a doctor." With a sympathetic look, she dismissed him, asking him if he thought he needed a ride home.

Declining from the offer, Ethan made his way out of the school, having already got his books and such from his locker and assignments from his classes. The very second he 'woke up' that morning, he knew he wasn't going to make it through the school day.

Great. Now he'd have to explain to a scolding grandma and a frantic Benny why he'd left school early. Benny would surely check up with the nurse once he'd discovered that his best friend was missing from their next class. Then, he'd call grandma, who'd call him, and end up squeezing the truth out of him. He could see it now..

Walking home, he decided to sit down and rest at a bench...he really was tired. Part of him was afraid he'd fall asleep right there on the bench, but he sat down anyway and decided to quickly skim over the note that the nurse had given to him. Scoffing, and feeling slightly regretful, he crumpled up the paper and threw it lazily onto the sidewalk next to him. Ethan wasn't one to litter, but at that moment, he just didn't have the energy to care.

He'd barely made it a block from the school, and he'd had to take a rest. How was he going to make it another four?

"Ugh." He groaned, leaning his head back against the hard wooden bench. After a minute or two of listening to the birds chirping and feeling the sun on his face, Ethan began to feel some of the tension leave his body...and soon after fell asleep.

_Snarling and thunder meet Ethan's ears as incredible pain takes over his body. He couldn't see...the night was so dark...no stars. He lets out a chocked scream as a new wave of agony over him, and squeezes his eyes closed. The pressure on his body is gone now, relieving a fraction of the pain and allows him to think. Shouldn't he at least be calling for help? Oh yeah...who was around to hear him? His warm brown eyes suddenly snap open, and with the little strength he had, he raised his head slightly to look at his surroundings._

Benny.

_'He's out here somewhere!' Ethan mentally screamed at himself. 'Oh god, Benny...please stay away. Please don't come looking for me..' He once again caught sight of the spiky figure, and flicked as he heard it let lose a guttural growl, looming over him. The Seer flinched as the monster let out its loudest howl yet, and pounced at him from a mere few feet away._

Ethan jerked in his sleep, but didn't wake. His hands raised slightly to defend himself with a strength he didn't have in his dream. His arms soon dropped back down at his sides, to the hard wood of the bench.

_Something large and white streaked over Ethan's head, crashing hard and loud into the airborne monster. Both figures stumbled backwards, and suddenly Ethan began to SEE again. Before, all he could see was the blackness...but now, he could just make out the surrounding trees, and the bright moon shining in the sky despite the coulda and rain._

_He glanced over to his left, now more than ever feeling the energy drain from his body. The two figures stood a few meters away, snarling at each other. They didn't seem to be fighting..not anymore. More like, they were sizing each other up, which wouldn't normally strike Ethan as weird. Except, he felt like they were having some sort of silent conflict as well, and not only that...a third figure was approaching him._

_Hurrying towards him from almost directly behind the white monster, was a woman. As she got closer, Ethan began to make out some details with what was left of his consciousness. The first thing that struck him was her hair...really dark hair that almost blended in with the night. Buzzed short in one side, and spiked up in the other, what was even stranger was the tiny sparks that emitted from those spikes. They seemed to only get brighter as she came closer to kneel beside him._

_"Do me a favor and don't be beyond my help." She said, anxiety lacing her voice._

_"I'm hallucinating.." Ethan mumbled._

_"You're loosing blood." The woman replied, and lied a hand down on Ethan's chest, drawing a pained cry from the boy. "Sorry!" She exclaimed to the boy. Then, she began to whisper foreign words that sounded oddly familiar. Latin, maybe? Magic.._

_"Benny!" Ethan remembered out loud. "Where's Benny?!"_

_"Shh." She shushed him, her hands now hovering over his shaking form, covered in blood. "Katee!" She turned and shouted behind her, over to the two monsters now in a full on fight with each other. "I need you! I can't help him!"_

_'Katee..' Ethan thought warily. 'It has a name..'_

_The red, spiky monster whipped it's head around, and let out a feral sound, beginning to turn around. The woman kneeling beside Ethan immediately got into a protective stance in front of him, looking ready to pounce, herself. The red monster began to bound towards them, making it a couple feet before once again being intercepted by the white._

_'Why's it defending us?' Ethan thought groggily. 'Is it even defending me? Or just the woman in black? Do they want to kill me too?' He groaned._

_"He's _dying_." The woman once again yelled over to the monsters. "He needs to be bitten! Like, soon!"_

_The white thing first knocked the other off balance, and then sprang, teeth flashing, to bite harshly on it's tail. The red howled in pain before turning back around to stand on all fours, using one huge paw to bat the other's head away. Then, it sprang at the white, clamping its jaws down brutally on its shoulder._

_"Get away from her!" The woman with the spikes snarled, though she didn't leave her spot next to Ethan. "Leave!" She pulled a rather large hunting knife from her boot, and dropping into a low crouch, the knife held ready in front of her._

_The white stumbled back with a pained yelp, followed by a series of whimpers. The red then bit down on its hind leg on the opposite side and turned towards Ethan and the mystery woman. It stalked towards them, slowly at first, and then running, knocking the woman with the knife away. She flew at least twenty feet into a tree..but not before she managed to lodge the knife into the monsters side._

_Letting out a snarl of agony, it reached -actually reached to its side- and pulled out the now scarlet knife. It gave a ferocious growl, and threw it with quite a bit of accuracy into a tree next to the woman's head. Ethan felt his weak body shake a little more as the beast trained its toxic green eyes on him. What kind of monster could just pull a huge knife out of its side and be ready for more?_

_'This one..' Ethan thought just as the thing jumped on him, biting his shoulder._

_As he screamed. Ethan swore something broke. The pain was like never before...nothing the monster did previously could compare to this. It spread from his shoulder down into his cheat and throughout the rest of his body. It was hot! It was burning! It hurt so much! Death _had_ to be better than this.._

_'Benny.' Ethan thought, no longer having the power to scream. 'I won't make it back. I'm never going to see him again.' He barely had the will to open his eyes, watching as the beast ran away, feeling vaguely surprised when lightning bolt after lightning bolt just started striking the ground around it. A few struck it, slowing it down a little, but it was soon out of view into the deeper forest. Not long after, the white monster rose from the ground and took chase, still limping heavily._

_"Are you okay!?" The woman asked frantically, coming back to Ethan's side. She knelt down and began inspecting the wound next to him. "Of course you're not okay...I know this is overwhelming, but I need you to stay awake." She pulled off her jacket and bunched it up under Ethan's head, creating a makeshift pillow._

_"I'm going to die, aren't I?" Ethan asked. The pain was fading now...was that bad? Was he about to die?_

_"No! No, you're fine." Her fingers were shaky as she took the rips in his shirt and tore them open more to inspect the wounds on his stomach. "That son of a bitch bit you. You're going to live, you're gonna be fine." Muttering in Latin, she held her fingers over the nasty gashes in Ethan's sides and stomach. Ethan watched as small sparks of blue dropped from her fingers onto his broken body._

_The pain was surely leaving now. He could _feel_ every beat of his heart, getting stronger. Was she doing this? Ethan felt like he was slowly resurfacing from a blackened sea, feeling the worst of the dizziness leave his mind. He knew one thing for sure...whatever had happened to him..whatever damage had been done, was being repaired. He was _healing_..just like that._

_"Who are you?" Ethan suddenly found himself asking. "_What_ are you?" Was she doing this? He'd been dying just mere seconds ago. The woman looked at him, still dropping sparks into his body, suddenly _alive_ with energy, and smiled ruefully._

_"My name is Tasha." She replied. Electricity, the same color as her shocking eyes, now ran freely through the tall spikes that was her hair. "I'm a sorceress."_

Ethan came to with a gasp, arms flailing and almost falling off the bench. "Damnit!" He sighed heavily. He needed to stop falling asleep at random places...

_'That was the longest so far.'_ Ethan thought, thinking back to when he'd had his other dreams...but those were only glimpses. This one was more like ten minutes or so. He began to panic as he scrambled to grab a pencil and paper tablet out of his backpack. _'I _can't_ forget this! I need to remember..'_ He began jotting down the dream as fast as he could, knowing that normally, he would wake up from a dream just forget it soon after. Then again, these weren't normal dreams...these were memories.

Strangely, it didn't freak him out as much as he thought it would.

'_There were _two_ monsters.'_ Ethan's thoughts strayed from what he was writing. _'A white one too. And there was that woman again! The one with lightning in her hair!'_ He began doodling on a few other pages, quickly sketching out what he remembered about the monsters, and the woman. When he was finished, sweating from the mild effort -he _still_ felt like utter crap- he thought the sketches actually looked really good.

Glancing at the streets, he scowled, knowing he's still have to endure the few painful blocks to his house. His head throbbed...his body ached. Even his MIND hurt, especially after the dream. Other than that..as he remembered the monsters, one word in particular came to mind...he tried to ignore it. He didn't _want_ to think about it...did he even _want_ to remember?

Sighing, he forced himself to get up and start walking again.

"Hey!" Someone greeted from behind him. Ethan turned warily as a car pulled up to the sidewalk. The man in the car was unfamiliar..but at the same time, Ethan felt certain he'd seen him before. He ignored this, and only continued his sluggish walk, taking small, slow steps.

"Hey." He greeted with no enthusiasm. "What's up?" He asked, not knowing what else to say.

"Not much, just taking a ride through town." The man glanced up at him through thickly tinted sunglasses. "Need some help? A ride anywhere?"

"Umm...sure." Ethan decided, going with his gut and walked around the car to the passengers side. As he got in, he couldn't help but notice the stranger studying him intently, and flinch he gave when Ethan sat down. As the car started moving, Ethan felt a calm feeling wash over him, and almost felt like he could just fall asleep again, right there in the strangers car.

_'Nuh-uh.'_ He thought warily. _'_So_ not going to happen.'_ He struggled to keep himself awake.

"Where we going, bud?" The man asked as he drove slowly through the near empty streets. The sunlight shining through the windshield nearly reflected off of the man's blonde hair.

"Umm...it's only about three blocks away." Ethan nodded and began to direct the man, who kept quiet and just drove for a minute or two.

"So, what happened?" The man asked as he continued slowly to their destination. "You look rough, dude." Ethan gave a tiny smile.

"Nothing. Just feeling really sick."

"I hope it gets better." They pulled into Ethan's driveway. As Ethan began to get out of the car, he did begin to feel a little better. The haze that recently clouded his mind lifted some, and he didn't feel as worn down.

"Thanks for the ride." Ethan gave a small smile. "I appreciate it."

"Anytime." The blonde smiled, and pulled out of the driveway, leaving Ethan to gather his thoughts and unlock an empty house._ 'What just happened?'_ He asked himself. '_I just accepted a ride from a total stranger...I could've been mugged.'_ He entered the house, throwing his backpack to the floor, giving a painful wince. _'Or worse..'_

As he plopped down on his couch, Ethan sighed, and tried to watch TV for a while, but quickly got bored. After a while, he also got tired, but restless at the same time. He'd only slept two hours the night before, but he also felt as though electricity was just BUZZING under his skin. He tried to ignore this the best he could, and instead tried to sleep.

As Ethan was drifting off, he heard something in the back of him, and assuming it was the Ac, lazily opened his eyes and shifted his position uncomfortably. He tried to find a comfortable spot, tried to shake off the suddenly energetic feeling, and was dozing off again...until he heard the noise, _again_. And it sounded like a person whispering...right in back of him!

'_Ethan.'_

Ethan shot up from the couch, whipping around to see the intruder. As his eyes met nothing but the empty room, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

'_Run.'_ There was that voice again, only this time Ethan realized it wasn't in the room with him. It was in his head...which kind of freaked him out more.

"What?" Ethan asked into the empty room, and began walking around the living room, to the entryway. Even though he was pretty sure he'd heard what the voice told him, he wanted to be sure that he'd actually _heard_ something, and wasn't going crazy.

"Ethan?" A loud voice asked from behind him, and Ethan gave a shriek of terror -in a very manly way- and jumped away from the hand that grasped his shoulder. Turning around, his feet tangled and he fell to the floor, hitting his shoulder on the sharp edge of a table in the process.

"Dad!" Ethan exclaimed, surprise and irritation in his voice. "Don't..do that!" He whined as he rested his now throbbing head on the linoleum.

"Ethan?" His dad asked again, eyebrows furrowed. "You okay?" Ethan accepted the helping hand, and stood up with a wince. "Why are you home?"

"Huh?" Ethan asked, trying to find his balance, as he clung to his dads strong arm.

"Why aren't you at school?" His dad asked, setting down a rather large plastic bag at the door. "You okay?" Ross repeated, gazing now worriedly at his son.

"Yeah, uh..I'm fine." Ethan gave a small grin. "Just didn't feel so good in school today. The nurse sent me home." For a few seconds, his dad said nothing, only studied his son's face, and then finally placed a hand on his forehead.

"Maybe you should head up to bed, E." His dad said, with a sigh as he entered the kitchen. "You feel hot." He began rummaging around in the cupboards. "You're looking kind of pale too." He added. "What's the matter? You catching something?"

"I don't think it's anything to worry about." Ethan shrugged and accepted the painkillers from his dad. "Probably just a head cold." He gave a weak smile, and tried not to think about the strange whispers in his head.

"Well, you're mom'll be home around six." Ross grasped Ethan's shoulder and gave it a shake. "Get some rest."

"Will do, dad." Ethan began making his way up the stairs.

'_Run.'_ There was the voice again! The teen froze, half way up the stairs, and listened. The voice hadn't sounded threatening, more like a soft whisper of encouragement. After a second, he continued up, listening as the voices got stronger, and he was able to tell that there were two voices, one female, and one male.

'_Lift some weights.'_ The soft, male voice. _'Do some push ups.'_

'_Sit ups_.' A strained, female voice.

'_Best to run.'_

_'Just run, you'll need it.' _

_'It'll make you better.'_

Ethan closed his door, and sat down on the bed, listening for more. He'd heard them before! He couldn't match people to the voices, but at the same time, there was no question about wether he's heard them before. But _where_? Furrowing his eyebrows, he listened for more, but no voices came. After a few minutes, he gave up listening, and focused on what the voices had said.

Work out tips? What the heck?

"Why?" Ethan asked aloud to his room. _'Why do they want me to work out?'_ He wondered. _'To tire me out?'_ He got up and slowly walked over to his window, gazing out into the forest. _'So they can strike?'_ Suddenly, he thought of the weights his uncle had given him for his birthday last year, that they kept stored in the garage. _'Am I actually considering this? I have the upper arm strength of a gerbil.'_ He thought glumly, and bit his lip as he glanced down at the grass, two stories below. _'My dad told me to go to sleep.'_

Ethan slowly opened his window, and sighed as cool, clean air washed over him. From the window, he could see Benny's house, next door, and a good section of their back yards. Separating the two houses was a large oak tree, some bushes, and grandma's garden a little farther away. He sighed.

**XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX**

About ten minutes later, Ethan stood at the entryway of his storage garage, and was opening it slowly, trying to keep quiet. He'd had to sneak past his dad watching TV, and into the laundry room where he could sneak out the back door. Now, he was looking with distaste at the collection of weights that he'd never used. They had just collected dust for the past nine months.

'_This is going to give me nothing but aching muscles.'_ Ethan complained to himself, but began dusting off the fifteen pound weights anyway. He wanted to start out with one of the lightest...just in case he suddenly got too weak to lift anything (it had happened a lot in the past week) and he was curious about the voices, and why they were telling him to do these things.

Surprisingly, over the next twenty minutes or so, Ethan discovered that after a few minutes of the fifteen-pounders, that the soreness in his arms began to be less noticeable. The weights quickly became too easy to lift, and he began lifting the twenty pounders on each an arm. Though this struck him as strange, Ethan decided to just go with it, and instead concentrated on the feeling of his muscles relaxing and contracting, working the soreness away. He soon moved to the much larger weights that required two hands, and within an hour of it all, he was left sweaty, and feeling a lot better than he did when he'd first came into the garage.

'_The voice was right.'_ He suddenly realized. '_It did make me better.'_ He grinned, and began to head out of the garage, just before his cellphone buzzed.

'_Ethan? You okay?' -Benny_

Signing, Ethan quickly typed back. '_Just fine. Feeling a lot better actually.'_ This wasn't a lie. _'Where are you?'_ He sent the message, preparing to sneak back into the house, and a minute later his phone buzzed again.

_'Between 6th and 7th hour. You sure you're okay?' -Benny_

'Yeah, I'm good. Maybe after school we could do something. Get to class.' Ethan smiled as he slowly made his way through the laundry room, and up the stairs.

'_Fiiiine. See you in an hour.' -Benny_

Ethan entered his room, and sent back a simple smiley face as he began to get his clothes out for a shower. As he headed into the bathroom, he was surprised to hear his phone buzz again.

'_What's up?'_ The message was from Sarah, and Ethan's eyebrows drew together. Wasn't she supposed to be in class?

'_Aren't you supposed to be in class?'_ Ethan asked honestly, and waited for a second for his phone to buzz back.

_'My last hour is a free period since I'm a senior and Mr. Greene's out for the day. Wanna hang out?' -Sarah_

_'Where's Erika? I'm still in class.'_ Ethan lied, seeing wether she'd call him out on it or not. Ethan didn't want to admit it, but over the past couple months or so, his interest in Sarah had been waning.

'_You liar, and gone with some loser jock. You okay over there? Need anything?' -Sarah._

'_Why is she being so...willing to talk to me?'_ Ethan asked himself, and wondered what she wanted from him. She rarely just texted him out of nowhere. Ethan took his time starting the shower and adjusting the water temp before replying, and felt surprised when he realized he actually felt kind of annoyed by Sarah.

'_It's okay, I'm fine.'_ Ethan typed back. '_Actually, I was going to hang with Benny later. Wanna come over?'_ Half hoping she'd say no, Ethan but his lip and reluctantly sent the text. Sarah was one of his friends, after all, even if he didn't exactly have a huge crush in her anymore...and she'd made it pretty clear she didn't like him as anything more than a friend.

_'Sure! (: You forgot your History book in Mr. G's class btw, I'll bring it over to you.' -Sarah_

Oh. That was why.

'_Thanks, see you soon.'_ Ethan tried to end the conversation and sighed, turning his phone off as he slipped off his clothes and began to run the water.

Around twenty minutes later, Ethan was feeling clean and refreshed, and lying on his bed, staring up at the ceiling. Since the surprisingly relaxing workout and shower, he was feeling perfectly content, and found his eyelids getting heavier and heavier for each passing minute. Just sitting there, dozing on and off, Ethan was perfectly content, and he was just on the edge of total sleep. That is, until he heard a knock at his door.

"Ethan?" He heard a soft feminine voice ask, and he opened his eyes to see Sarah standing in his doorway. "You asleep?" She whispered, and Ethan found himself smiling.

"Not anymore." He replied with a chuckle, and instead of politely sitting up, he just scooted over in the bed, unwilling to give up the comfort his bed gave him. "What's up?"

"Nothing, I just brought over you're text book." Sarah replied, setting the book down on his computer table. "You look comfy." She commented, smiling and sitting at the edge of his bed.

"I was." Ethan said, sighing, and then glaring playfully at the brunette. "Until someone came and woke me up." Sarah gave him a mock-dirty look and then laughed, lying down next to him.

"Whatever, Morgan." She grinned. "So, what're you gonna do for Benny's birthday?" Sarah asked suddenly, as her phone buzzed with a text.

"To be honest, I really don't know." As Sarah pulled her phone out of her pocket to text a reply, Ethan became suddenly surprised at himself. Well, it was a pleasant sort of surprise...he'd never been so close to her without his stomach doing little flips and heart doing weird things. Of course, most of those feelings he'd gotten for her had faded away in the last two months or so. Still, she'd never been so willingly close to him before...

"Well, we gotta think of something." Sarah said, sighing and then smiling over at Ethan, his face only a few inches away. "It's not everyday a dork turns seventeen."

"I know!" Ethan exclaimed. "I just can't figure out what to get him! I need to do some serious shopping before Saturday." Ethan rubbed his eyes. "I know he'd want to go to the arcade or somewhere...and as hard as he tries, I know Benny doesn't really like a party with a whole lot of stuck up kids who don't care about him."

"It makes you lonely after a while." Sarah agreed. "And hey, what's up with you, Ethan? You've seemed like...really sick lately, and really ." She gave a concerned glance. "Even _Erika's_ noticing."

"I dunno." Ethan shrugged half heartedly. "Maybe it was just a head cold that lasted a really long time."

"Don't give me that, Ethan." Sarah rolled her eyes. "Seriously, if something like this happens again, I want you to go in for it." She said, referring to the hospital. "If you're sick for a whole month with a head cold, it's not normal...you might be a monster-fighting, vampire slaying, super geek, but you're still human." Ethan found himself smiling, and Sarah laughed before her voice became scolding again. "We're really worried about you. Especially Benny."

"No one has anything to worry about." Ethan tried to convince her. "I really am doing fine." The vampire didn't look all that convinced. "Really!" Ethan insisted. "I was feeling really sick when I came home, I'll admit, but ever since, I feel great." He stretched out his arms above him, and gave an over-the-top grin to prove his point.

"Okay." Sarah replied, still not convinced, but seemingly decided that the young Seer was telling her the truth. "Anyway, I wish I could stay longer, but I sort of have a date tonight." She said rather hesitantly, probably knowing Ethan still liked her, and not wanting to hurt him.

"Who with?" Ethan asked, genuinely curious. He silently hoped it wasn't one of those jerk jocks that had often bullied Benny and himself. Other than that, Ethan wished it wouldn't be a jock, because they tended to be obnoxious jerks, and he didn't want to see Sarah hurt anytime soon.

"A new student named Danny." Sarah answered, smiling. "And before you say anything, yes he is a football jock, and no, he isn't a jerk. He actually seems pretty nice."

"Awesome." Ethan said, snuggling into the bed he realized he had all to himself again. "So, what do you think we should do about Benny? And by the way, do you have the time?" He asked, knowing fully well he could've just rolled over to look at the clock behind him, and wondering when Benny was going to arrive.

"It's around four." Sarah answered, glancing down at her phone screen. "And I don't know yet, but we're going to have to meet up with Grandma Weir sometime and organize the whole thing." Sarah smiled. "I haven't bought anything for him yet either, and we only have a few days-"

"A few days for what?" Benny asks as he enters the room, and Ethan notices right away that he's a little uncomfortable.

"Speak of the devil." Ethan says and smiles at Benny, who gives him a grimace in return.

"So, I'll see you guys later." Sarah breaks the beginning of an awkward silence, and rushes past Benny with a smile and out the door. As soon as she's left the room, Benny closes the door with a soft click and as Benny forces a smile at Ethan, he can tell his best friend's trying to cover up the tension he's feeling.

"What's up?" Ethan asks as he sits up in bed, leaning against the headboard.

"'What's up' yourself, E." Benny said, throwing down his backpack next to Ethan's closet. "How come you checked out early today?" He asked, concern lacing his voice.

"Just wasn't feeling good, Benny." Ethan said, trying to reassure him. "But I'm feeling a lot better now!" He continued, and Benny grimaced.

"Well, you do look better that earlier this week, E." Benny said hesitantly, and sat on the edge of his bed, much like Sarah had done. For a second, Ethan contemplated wether or not to tell his best friend about the strange voices he'd heard, but quickly dismissed that thought. The advice he'd been given helped...and if it made him better, who was he to interfere?

"Wanna do something later?" Ethan asked, taking Benny by surprise.

"Um...sure E." Benny replied slowly. "As long as you're sure everything's alright."

"I'm sure, Ben." Ethan replied, getting up and stretching his arms high above his head. "I don't know what it is...but I felt awful earlier, and then I came home and..rested for a while and now I'm feeling great!" He'd almost slipped...and while he wasn't being totally truthful, he did take a rest, and he really was feeling better.

"If you say so." Benny looked skeptical, but smiled nonetheless. "Actually, E, I forgot to tell you. Grandma told me to tell you that there's someone over at the house who wants to meet you." His smile was gone now, replaced with a grimace. "One of Senna's friends. The one she was talking about the last time we went out for lunch together."

"The one Cody doesn't like?"

"Tyson." Benny nodded, rolling his eyes. "I don't like them, E." He said, sort of hesitantly. "I don't have a good feeling about this."

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know..." Benny frowned thoughtfully. "I guess...I don't know." He shifted uncomfortably. "They just..give me this feeling whenever their around, sometimes. Like, something bad might happen. Now, especially Tyson. I really don't like him."

"I don't know what to say Benny." Ethan face a sheepish look. "I've never really felt anything like that around Cody or Senna...I mean, Grandma seems to trust them, right? How bad can they be?" Benny gave sort of a sad look before getting up from his spot on the bed.

"I guess so. I don't know, it's just weird." He grabbed his backpack. "You coming, dude? Grandma said after the meet and greet with Tyson, we're going to visit this mystical spot a few hours away. She said she talked to your parents and their willing to let you come with us." At this, Benny smiled. "Just you, me, and Grandma."

"And the others are gonna stay at _your_ house?" Ethan asked, disbelieving.

"Nah, I guess they have their own stuff to do."

"Anything else Grandma said?" Ethan asked, rolling his eyes, but grinning.

"I don't think so." Benny smiled. "Come on, the sooner we get there, the sooner we get to leave."

**XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX**

"You know, we _can_ just make a run for it." Benny scowled as they got to his front porch, and sat on the steps. Ethan sat next to him, and leant against one of the supporting beams.

"Well, we can't avoid them forever." He sighed. "And like you said, the sooner we get this over with, the sooner we can take off with grandma to that priestess convention, holy place or whatever."

"It's a few hours away." Benny said thoughtfully, wondering if Ethan would take his chance to sleep for a while before they got there. Reassuring as he was, Benny couldn't help but doubt that Ethan would just suddenly get better in a matter of hours...well, it _had_ happened before..but Benny couldn't help but worry. Maybe it was just the feeling that Ethan wasn't telling him something that threw him off. They told each other everything, didn't they?

"We'll just have to find something to do...we could bring out Nintendo's." Ethan said, breaking Benny out of his thoughts. "That or we could bring the portable DVD player and a season of _The Bloodsucker Diaries_."

"Or we could sleep." Benny said, silently agreeing with Ethan but deciding to give his thoughts a shot. His tone held a hint of suggestion and Ethan scowled at him, opening his mouth to say something, but not getting the chance to as the door swung open.

"Come on, boys! You've been out here long enough, haven't you?" Senna asked, smiling as she stepped out on the porch. "I promise, he's not as bad as some people might make him out to be."

"Oh yes he is!" Cody sang as he walked past the door.

"Can it, Cody." Senna rolled her eyes and gestured them in as the boys slowly rose and followed her into the house.

'_Funny how I'm uncomfortable even entering my own home!'_ Benny thought bitterly. _'Why can't they just be gone already?'_ As the trio entered into the living room, the young spellmaster's eyes narrowed as he for the second time that day, caught sight of a rather broad man sitting on one of Grandma's chairs. He was of average height by the looks of it, with a broad torso that still managed to look lean, hair a deep caramel color and blue eyes. Something that Benny noticed right away was that he was dressed in dark colors, and in a way reminded him of Cody. Still, this man in front of him also seemed to be Cody's polar opposite. In a second, Benny went from disliking Cody to having a preference toward him.

"Hey." The man's smile was friendly enough, but didn't make Benny like him any more. "I'm Tyson Brent." He stood from his chair and walked over to them with a hand held out. Benny's felt his insides shake with some foreign hostility as he clasped hands with Ethan.

"Ethan Morgan." Ethan said with a nod, and then tilted his head towards where Benny stood next to him. "You probably already know, this is my best friend Benny."

_'Thanks, dude.'_ Benny thought. _'I didn't want to have to speak to this jerk-wad any more than necessary.'_ Then, the teen just nodded and gave a very tight quirk of his lips as the man smiled at him.

"You're Evelyn's grandson." He said and nodded. "I saw you earlier today, but we didn't get to say much did we?" It was Benny's turn to shake his hand, and Benny once again wondered why Senna even considered bringing him to his house.

"Sorry about that, I had some errands to run before I came home from school." Benny replied, not exactly lying. He'd come home for maybe a minute before departing for Ethan's house.

"It's cool." Tyson smiled and walked into the kitchen. Sharing a wide-eyed look, a reluctant Ethan and Benny followed him. As they entered the kitchen, they were greeted by Grandma, who was boiling something in a rather large caldron, Cody, looking a bit more disheveled than usual, and Senna, reading something's in the newspaper.

"Care for tea, anyone?" Cody asked glumly, holding up a rather feminine looking tea cup. "Specialty of Granny Weir."

"Hush, Cody." Grandma said, adding some kind of purple plant to the boiling liquid. Tyson seemed to have lost all interest in conversation as he held a laptop on his hands, scrolling through some website with the pad mouse.

"Oh boys?" Grandma asked from her station across the room. "As it turns out, my meeting is going to take just a little longer, and I've arranged for us all to stay in town for a few days instead of a few hours." She smiled and shrugged. "If you're up to it. I've already got the school work for you two, so you don't miss out on anything." The boys shared a look.

"Sure, Grandma." Ethan smiled. "It would actually be great to get out for a while.

"And we even get to do schoolwork while we're there?" Benny asked in mock excitement, making Grandma roll her eyes. Ethan only smirked.

"What's wrong with you?" Ethan asked as he sat opposite of Cody at the large table, Benny taking a seat next to him.

"_Oh_ nothing." Cody answered sarcastically. "Except a really strong mental block!" His eyes were glazed-over, and his hands shook slightly. "No energy sensitivity, no tracking skills..." He took a sip out of his cup, sounding absolutely miserable. "Not even weather prediction."

"Calm down Cody, I'm sure it's just a bad day for you." Tyson said, setting down the laptop and grabbing some plastic tray out of the fridge.

"Yeah." Cody agreed softly. "You'd know all about bad days, wouldn't you?" Perhaps too low for the man to hear, as Tyson didn't give any indication of hearing him. He grabbed a fork from the silverware drawer and began eating something suspiciously similar to sushi.

"Wanna take him up to the guest room?" Benny whispered, catching Ethan off guard by the looks of it.

"Uh, yeah." Ethan replied. "He doesn't look to good." Then to Cody, he asked a little louder. "Hey Cody, Benny and I found something at an antique stop earlier and we think you'd really like to see it." Wow. Benny raised his eyebrows, but nodded along, silently impressed with How smoothly Ethan's lie came across.

'_Hope he doesn't make a habit of it.'_ Benny thought as he began to get up from his seat. "Yeah, I brought it up to my room earlier." Benny gave a minuscule smile.

"But you haven't gotten the chance to get to know Tyson yet." Cody replied, still dazed, earning a strange look from Senna and a mutual look from Tyson. Ethan got up, crossing the table to tug gently at Cody's arm.

"I'm sure we'll have all the time in the world to talk later." Ethan helped Cody out of his chair. As the boys journeyed upstairs to the guest room, Cody made a confused face.

"I thought we were going to the thrift store." He asked. Ethan and Benny shared a look as they sat him down on the guest bed. Benny decided to get this over with. He didn't like being in this room...it still brought up painful memories.

"No, Cody, we think you should just get some rest for a while." Benny said, going over to the window and opening it half way. "You look pretty out of it today."

"I feel pretty out of it." Cody replied glumly, already lying back on the bed. Only then did Benny actually notice that under the overcoat, he was wearing a plain white shirt and black sweat pants. Sleepwear, by the looks of it. "This isn't where I sleep." He continued drowsily.

"Grandma won't mind." Ethan answered. "Just...sleep it off."

"You guys are leaving soon." Cody mumbled as he drifted off. _'Jeez.'_ Benny thought, almost sympathetically. _'Does he really feel that drained?'_

"Yeah, me and E gotta go pack." Benny nodded to Ethan and the two boys left the room. "We'll wake you before we leave." Benny said to Cody's near-sleeping form as he closed the door.

"Sheesh." Ethan said, giving Benny a wide-eyed look. "I didn't think having psychic's block would be that...draining." He said as they entered Benny's room.

"I was just thinking the same thing." Benny said, crossing the room to his closet where he grabbed a suitcase and duffel bag. "I told you Tyson was trouble. Cody's my new favorite." This was true enough...he still didn't particularly like Cody, but compared to Tyson? No question.

"I didn't believe you before." Ethan said, flopping down on Benny's bed. "But meeting him, I get what you meant about the weird feeling." Ethan's eyes followed him around the room. "I still need to go home and pack before we leave."

"I think I need to wash a few things..." Benny said, trailing off.

"I'll wait."

"I don't like this, E...I mean, I love that we're finally getting away from all of this for a few days, but..." Benny made a face, sitting down next to Ethan on his bed. "I don't like coming home to a house full of strangers." He bit his lip. "It just doesn't feel right...and I know Grandma says they're fine, and she wouldn't let them sty here if they weren't, but...I don't know."

"Maybe you could just stay at my place until they leave." Ethan said after a moment of thought. "I wouldn't exactly be all that comfortable either."

"Thanks, E." Benny said, smiling a little before getting up and continuing to pack various items. "At least we're leaving soon. Getting away from all this weirdness for a few days."

"At least there'd that." Ethan agreed, smiling. "Think they'll have a pool?"

"I hope so." Benny grinned back. "If not, Grandma told me about this lake that's nearby...totally safe for swimmers and canoes. Make sure and pack you're swim trunks." Benny came across his own, throwing them messily into the duffel bag. Ethan then got up, gathering the dirty clothes that littered the floor and throwing them into an almost empty hamper in the corner.

"Come on, I'll help with your laundry." Ethan grabbed the hamper, exiting the room. "The faster we get you packed, the faster we can leave...and get something to eat, I'm hungry!"

"I think Tyson had sushi earlier." Benny laughed as Ethan wrinkles his nose.

"I hate sushi, and I'm not eating while we wash you're dirty underwear! _Ew_." Benny just rolled his eyes with a small smile.

"Shut up, E."

**AN: GRRRRRRRRR! Guy's, I seriously don't know about this chapter, especially the ending...and sorry for any mistakes. But HEX YEAH, I think this is the longest one yet! I know this chappie was also kind of slow and boring, and maybe it even skipped around a little, and there were things that didn't quite make sense...but I swear, everything will get a lot more clear as the chapters go on. This is part of the story, and without it, everything would just be MORE confusing. Remember now, we're figuring things out as Ethan figures them out. (x be patient, loves. BIG thanks to those who actually review! I read them! I recognize you! XP Even if I don't send a reply back. If you ever want a mention or reply or something, just ask. Okay, this AN is long enough..(Holy Shit, dudes, over EIGHT THOUSAND words!)**

**Review's are love!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight: Not The Same**

**WARNING: This is in fact, a slash story, which means gayness saaaaaan. There will be a turn for 'M' rated chapters in the future. You've been warned. **

**XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX**

"We should just order pizza." Benny groaned. "I'm too tired and hungry to go to some fancy vegan restaurant."

"Tired? We were just in a car for the past four hours!" Ethan rolled his eyes, but yawned all the same. He knew the feeling. They'd had to get rooms keys, which was a hassle in itself, due to the front desk employee having an allergic reaction to some peanut butter cookies. Then, to make it worse, their rooms -one for the boys, and one for grandma- were on the third floor, and the elevator had blown a fuse. So, after climbing up three flights, they'd finally gotten to their respective rooms...and found a couple apparently on their honey moon. So, here they were again, trying to get keys and rooms on the bottom floor.

All this after driving for nine hours. Needless to say, neither Ethan nor Benny were excited to get up and jump back in the car, or to climb another set of stairs for that matter.

"Pizza it is." Grandma agreed, handing them a single key. "We'll go in the morning, and just so you know, after tonight, we're going to be staying at a friend of mine's."

"Aw, gramma, I don't want to stay at some old lady's house!" Benny whined, as Ethan began to get up and grab their suitcases. "She probably has fifty cats like the last place you took me."

"She owns an Inn, Benjamin, and you'll be pleased to know she doesn't have _cats_, she has horses, which she said you would have a chance to ride." Grandma scolded and grabbed her single small rolling suitcase she'd packed. "Come on, boys. Our rooms are on the second floor." She glared at the front desk as they passed by, at the stupid desk worker who'd made a big deal out of his own mistake of giving them the wrong keys.

**XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX**

"Dude! I so had you there!" Benny exclaimed, disbelieving as the screen announced Ethan the winner. Yawning, he continued to protest. "It must be something with...the wiring."

"The wiring?" Ethan asked, amused. "Maybe your just loosing your touch. I've never beaten you at this game on the fifth level."

"Maybe you're stealing my touch." Benny smiled, then rubbed his eyes. "Man, I'm seriously tired...my eyes are burning." He yawned. "What the hell?" He asked, getting up from the floor and flopping to the bed. "I got my full nine hours yesterday."

"And you slept for like two hours on the way over here." Ethan added as he switched the Xbox back to the satellite. "Are you getting sick?"

"I don't feel sick." Was the lazy reply. "Just tired. You tired?"

"Not really." Ethan got up from the floor also, stretching. "I think I'm gonna go get something from the vending machines."

"Want me to come with?"

"Nah, thats alright. I'll be right back anyway, they're just down the hall." The Seer finished switching the screen from the Xbox to satellite, and set the TV to a random channel, and turned off the light as he exited the room. "Want anything?"

"A bottle of pop would be awesome." Benny yawned again. "Vending is a funny word. Makes me thinks of downloading music." Ethan smiled.

"Yeah, it does. Go to sleep, Ben, I'll be right back." With that, he left the room, key card in pocket and money in hand. Walking through the halls? He found himself becoming more and more _awake_ as the seconds ticked by. This was the same feeling he got every night, a feeling of restlessness that both energized and annoyed him to no end. It made the blood race in his veins, and made him want to jump buildings. It made him feel like he could just drop, do 500 push-ups, and then jump back up and start flying. After the dreams he'd gotten yesterday and earlier today, he wondered to himself if he really _could_ fly.

"No." Ethan muttered to himself, watching the vending machine drop the bottles to the bottom. "Vampires fly...werewolves don't fly."

Did he know...really? _Could_ he fly, if he wanted to?

Was he really a _werewolf_? The idea seemed absurd. Ethan Morgan...a _werewolf_? It almost seemed laughable.

Ethan turned and looked out the window, to the bright moon and thought about that first night Benny'd found him in the woods. He still couldn't remember what had happened, and in all honesty, he wasn't sure if he wanted to know. The possibilities scared him. He'd thought he'd seen werewolves before...he'd _been_ a werewolf before, for like a day when Benny'd accidentally backfired a spell on him. But he'd been different then. From what he'd heard, he'd turned into a snarling, hairy, and less -than-attractive beast. he didn't remember a thing...did that mean that that's what he'd turn into _now_?

But the blonde girl, Katee, _she'd_ been a werewolf, she's said so herself, and _she_ hadn't turned into anything like that. She was only slightly different from a real wolf...well, different, but with a lot of the same characteristics. She'd been able to stand and move on her hind legs almost as well as on all fours, and she had fingers on the front paws instead of just toes. Her back paws were normal, if not a little elongated, and she was long and slim. Even in that form, anyone could tell just by looking at her and her sleek fur and face that she was female. The wolf skin hadn't marred her feminism.

Ethan looked at himself in the window, seeing pretty clearly in the reflection that he wasn't werewolf material.

Sure, Katee hadn't looked like much of a monstrous beast while in her human form either, but he didn't know about the male werewolves. Did they have to look a certain way? Ethan, of average height, average build, and not at all menacing features, would've made a better puppy than a wolf. There was nothing fierce about him.

The seer-turned-werewolf sighed and headed back to the room.

_Who_ were they? And where did they come from? The two blondes and the raven haired woman...they'd just ran out of nowhere. How did they know where to find him? And why did they even _care_? They'd risked their lives for him.

'Why did I have to be saved anyway?' Ethan thought as he entered the hotel room, met with the soft sound of Benny's intake and outlet of breath. 'Who was that after me? Another werewolf, judging by the looks of it...wait, is that what I'm supposed to look like?' Ethan scowled as he sat down on the bed, still wide awake. He wasn't sure if he _wanted_ to look like that.

_'Why was he even after me?'_ Ethan asked himself, biting into a pop-art he'd bought. _'I didn't do anything to anyone! At least, I don't think I did...did I? Was it Benny?' _Heglanced over at his best friend, appearing to be having a dream as he rolled over in his sleep, tangling the sheets.

_'Not that that's a bad thing.'_ Ethan backtracked. _'Pretty much everything Benny does, he does with good intentions. Even when things turn out bad, I know he never means for it to turn out that way.' _

What if he wasn't even a werewolf?

'_What if I'm just fooling myself?'_ Ethan thought. _'What if all this is a trick from the stupid vampire council, or from..Jesse? What if I'm only imagining everything that's happening?' _

_'But what about all the evidence Senna and Cody collected?_' Ethan sighed as he realized these questions may never be answered. _'It doesn't change my curiosity, though. I'm _not_ going crazy, I'm _not_.'_ Ethan closed his eyes, and then opened them wide again as he remembered Jason in a car.

"I'm _not_ going crazy!" He exclaimed, and jumped as Benny shot up in his bed.

"What?" The spellmaster asked to the dark room, rubbing violently at his eyes. "Ethan?"

"Sorry, Benny." Ethan apologized, blushing. "Uh...just got mad at something on the show." Quickly making up a lie and glancing nervously at the TV screen, he realized it was some sort of CSI show. In response, Benny only rolled his sleepy eyes and switched on the bedside lamp. "Sorry I woke you."

"It's okay." Benny replied, taking the unopened bottle of mountain dew from the nightstand and taking a sip. "I was having a weird dream anyway." He looked over at Ethan. "You okay, E?"

"Yeah, I'm good." Ethan managed a smile, slipping under the covers and switching the life back off. He didn't mention his thoughts about how the idea that he was crazy...or the fact that he _couldn't_ have been crazy, since he _had_ been found bleeding in the woods, and he'd just _seen Jason_ the day before.

They were real, and so was the memories.

"E?" Benny asked, waving a hand in frn of his best friend.

"Yeah?"

"You sure your okay? You zoned out for a minute...you sure your not tired?"

"As sure as I could be." Ethan replied just as Benny launched himself from his bed to Ethan's own, wrapping his arms around Ethan's slim waist and bringing him down with him.

"I can't sleep if your not gonna sleep." Benny said, yawning and pulled his best friend closer in their awkward position. "So sleep."

"I'm not tired!" Ethan whined and fought weakly to get out of Benny's arms. In all honesty, the embrace wasn't all that bad.

"Well, what do you want to do, then?"

"I don't know...you don't have to stay up with me, I can just watch TV or something." Benny sighed and then sat up slightly in the bed.

"I wonder if they have a pool here?" He asked to no one in particular, then looked over at Ethan, with a gleam in his eyes. "Wanna go exploring? When we drove in, this place looks really cool."

"You want us to go out exploring the town?" Ethan asked, disbelieving, and trying not to feel disappointed as the other pulled away completely, heading towards the bathroom.

"Only if we can't find a pool." He shrugged. "Is that a no?"

"No..." Ethan pulled his suitcase onto the bed, searching for swim shorts. "Okay, let's go."

"I'll be out in a minute!" Benny shut the bathroom door and Ethan was left in silence, which he sighed into.

He tried not to think about how he wanted Benny to hug him again. _'I mean..its perfectly fine.'_ He told himself. _'Best friends hug each other all the time. But this time was different.'_ This time, there was something like tension wherever his skin met Benny's, and it was uncomfortable, simply because he hadn't felt anything like it before. It wasn't altogether unpleasant, and that made sense since it _was_ Benny. There was no one in the world he was more comfortable with.

'_I hope there's a pool.'_ He thought glumly. '_I don't want to wander the streets with him...especially since I'm being freakin' stalked by monsters galore.'_ He thought back to the monster that has originally attacked him, and wondered why, and if it was _still_ after him. The more he thought about it, the more he realized that everyone around him might be in danger.

'_I'm putting _Benny_ in danger.'_ This thought brought a sort of sick feeling to his stomach, and right then and there he knew he was going to be on edge...either until he knew for a fact that Benny was safe. He hoped so, but had no way of knowing if it was true or not...and that frightened him to no end.

"Ready?" Benny's voice made Ethan jump. "Dude, you aren't even dressed yet!"

"Sorry." Ethan apologized half-heartedly, and all but ran into the bathroom, undressing and re-dressing as quickly as he was able into his swimwear. "Let's go!" He grabbed a towel from the rack, his pop from the nightstand, and together they headed out to go find somewhere to swim.

**XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX**

"God!" Tasha felt herself doubling over, facing the grass of the forest floor. "Why do we have all these fights in the trees?" She complained, kicking aside a creature she found was made of earth as it disintegrated. "Annoying bastards!" She allowed herself a minutes rest, leaning back against a tree.

"Well, they don't have the vase yet." Came Jason's voice. "That's one good thing."

"That's the _only_ good thing, Jace." She managed through deep breaths. She groaned as her heartbeat pounded in her temples. "We don't have it either. I'm not sure we _can_ get it."

"What do you mean?" The blonde vampire asked, sitting opposite her.

"Well, the old woman has to have some sorts of magical boundaries. From what we know of her, she's smart. I don't even know if we should _try_ to get it out of the house." She shrugged. "She might have a spell to capture anyone who tries. She could find us."

"Okay." Jason sighed, then looked over at his friend with a look not to far from sad. "You know we have to take him, right? Ethan? We have to let him know about us, more than we already have."

"We have to meet him." Tasha agreed, after a moment of silence.

"Since the first night, the only time I've actually seen him is the day I drove him home." Jason grimaced. "He looked really worn...and I know you've been really trying to get those memories through, and I know it's taking a lot out of you, but Ethan doesn't seem to be all to convinced. I think he's still pretty unsure about everything."

"You've got to give the kid credit, though." The other muttered. "He hasn't totally freaked out yet...but, yeah. We have to meet him, soon. We have to _make_ him understand, _make_ him see that we're not the ones he needs to worry about. Sylvan's still out there, and so is Jesse and the rest of them."

"Think we can handle them for a couple more weeks?" Jason chuckled. "For the first time in a long time, I feel my energy waning. I'm not too sure about Katee, but I KNOW you're feeling it."

"Yeah, whereas _they_ seem to be only getting stronger. It amazes me how much evil there is in the world."

"There's good too."

"Not enough of it." The woman sighed. "By the way, I think we probably _should_ hold off on Ethan for a while...well, at least on his family and friends. They can't know, not all of them anyway."

"_Big_ trouble there." Jason agreed. "With all that's happened, and especially with that Tyson guy, I'm not sure they'll ask before they shoot. Plus, I want Ethan's life to remain...as normal as possible, even with the upcoming..._events_. Katee says Benny's birthday is coming up soon, and I want him to at least have that. At least that before we drag him into all of this."

"Who says he'll even cooperate?" Tasha asked, though a sad look did cross her exotic features. "He's a smart kid with a good heart, sure, but maybe that'll get in the way. He'll want to protect them."

"We can't tell what he'll do. All we can do is hope."

Tasha sighed, getting up from the cold ground, finding the rough tree bark against her back to be oddly comforting. "Well, hope sure isn't going to just hand the artifacts over. Come on, we have to find the compass before they do." Standing up also and allowing Tasha to climb on his back, Jason set flight.

**XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO**

That same night, Benny and Ethan did find a pool, and swam for a good two hours before becoming even slightly tired. After getting out and drying off, Benny, of course, still wanted to explore the streets. Luckily, after some convincing by Ethan's part, Benny agreed to wait until the next day.

So, now, they found themselves back in their room, eating popcorn they bought out of a vending machine, and watching some scary movie.

"It's always the stupid blonde cheerleader and her jock boyfriend." Ethan murmured. "Not that there's anything wrong With blonde cheerleader, but...it's true." He flinched as the sound of chainsaws and screaming filled the room.

"What about Stephanie?" Benny asked, trying not to look affected by the movie.

"I take that back."

"...Okay...now, I'm freaked out."

Later, when the movie was over, the boys found themselves unable to sleep in their respective beds. The shadows that crept across the floor and creaking from the pipes above and below did nothing to settle their nerves. Eventually, Benny found himself jumping up in his bed because he thought he felt the blankets move.

"E?" Benny asked, muted panic in his voice. "I don't like my bed."

"Me either." Ethan replied immediately, lifting the blankets away from the sheets and allowing Benny to jump in with him. "This is the last time we watch a scary movie while we're at a hotel."

"That's what we said last time." Benny yawned, settling in beside his friend. "This is a little better." He admitted, snuggling into the overtly fluffy mattress and pillows.

"It's like three in the morning, B." Ethan managed a small laugh. "Let's try and sleep." Scooting closer and closer during the night, gradually ending up lying flush against each other, the pair had no trouble sleeping through the night.

**XOXOXOXOXOXOXOX **

**AN: And, Scene! Lol okay, so I know I haven't updated in a while, but this story is reaching its point of interest. Plus, I've been setting up for future stories, because I have a hell of a lot of ideas that need to be written down, or else I can sleep at night. This chapter also isn't very long, sorry, and the beginning of the next chapter is going to be hell to write because I feel like it'll be a little dull without much action, but from there on, things should heat up! **

**Also, I have some other Bethan stories up if you wanna check me out! Okay, I've spoken enough. **

Reviews** are love. The next chapter will for sure be longer. **


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine: Being a Werewolf

**AN: So this chapter's kind of weird...but necessary, to set grounds for future events...but I still don't think I like it. **

**_WARNING!_ This story is slash, as in male/make pairing, and yes, it will live up to its 'M' rating, eventually. You've been warned. Haters will be ignored, or will possibly go missing sometime during the night while they sleep, never to be heard from again...just kidding. I'm open to criticism, unless your a homophobe, then, I won't care for you much. **

**XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO**

Ethan was trying not to freak out. It was Monday, and they were still in Blue Tree, the town grandma had taken them to. They were leaving tomorrow, but...

He still didn't have a present for Benny's birthday! It was only three days away! He hadn't even come up with any ideas! Well, he did order a 'Supernatural Hunting' kit like a month ago, but it still hadn't come. So, now...he was royally screwed.

You know what else was mercilessly screwing him? His _appetite_.

Before going to bed, Ethan, Benny, and Grandma had gone to that 'fancy vegan restaurant' as Benny deemed it, but it'd done almost nothing to help the sickly empty feeling in Ethan's stomach. The food had been great, but it was all _green_ and altogether unappetizing at the moment he was eating it.

The Seer dreaded what he knew would come next. The hunger would keep sickening him until he ate actual warm food. Actual meat, not veggie burgers.

Not only that he was sick with hunger...he also found it was much easier to push away the flashes of memory that came to the forefront of his mind every so often. For whatever reason, his formerly forgotten memories seemed to be wanting themselves to be burned permanently into his brain. Things just kept repeating and repeating...sometimes something new would come up, but usually it was the same things. It'd been going on all day, consuming his mind and vision for short, random periods.

"Ethan?" Grandma asked as she walked into the room, and was about to turn off the light before she seen Benny's sleeping form beside him. Ethan gestured for her to wait and got up from the bed, trying to shake his thoughts off as they both headed to the Inn's dark hallway. "Are you okay?" She asked. "I thought I heard something."

"_How's he doing?" A blonde asked the raven haired girl, her spikes still sparking and managing to keep their shape despite the rain. _

_"He's alright." She replied, and the blonde man placed a hand on Ethan's neck. The boy flinched and jerked back painfully at the uncomfortable contact. "A little shaken up." _

_"He's a fighter." The man said, smiling. "Ethan, my name's Jason..and..well, Tasha's already told you what she was, right? So, you should know, I'm a vampire." He held his hands up as Ethan's face twisted into a mask of immediate distrust. "But I'm not gonna hurt you, I swear. That other blonde girl..the blonde wolf, that was Katee. She's a werewolf." _

_"We came to help you." Tasha said, still dropping wispy threads of light into Ethan's body. "I'm so sorry, we were too late! But we're going to hell you." _

_"Help me what?" Ethan asked, groaning. _

"Ethan?" Grandma asked, worry in her voice.

"I'm fine, grandma." Ethan shook his head as he came out of the vision, and tried for a smile, but it came out as a grimcace. "Just me hungry again and rustling through our suitcases..I don't think we brought anything else to eat." Grandma only gave an amused look.

"Well, son, I think there's an all night diner just across the street." She smiled, leading him to her room. "This _is_ a historical town after all, tourists come through all hours of the day."

"You don't need to give me money, Grandma!" Ethan protested as the elderly woman slipped some bills from her clutch. "I have money already."

"Just take the money, Ethan." Grandma smiled. "I'm too old to be argued with." Ethan rolled his eyes, assuring Grandma that that wasn't the case, and reluctantly took the twenty dollars. Heading back to he and Benny's room, he slipped on some shoes and debated on wether or not to wake Benny.

It was around one in the morning right now, and he and Benny had fallen asleep around eleven. The seer had woken up to a dark room, Benny still sleeping soundly on the bed next to his. The tendencies he'd come to recognize as werewolf instincts would kick in at about this time every night, maybe earlier.

He still was unsure.

He sighed, and then froze suddenly as a shiver crept up his spine. His hair stood on edge as he peered out the two story window, suddenly very aware of his surroundings. There was no one outside that he could see...and his new ability to see in the dark told him there was no one in the dark streets or the woods beyond, at least within his line of sight...then again, they could be hiding. But what reason would they have to hide?

'_Do they think I'm dangerous?'_ He wondered. _'Who are _they_, anyway? Who are the bad guys?' _

What did they want with him anyway?

_'Ethan.' _

The seer jumped, looking around and automatically moving closer to Benny. "What?" He hissed to the dark room.

'_Stay away from the woods.'_ A female voice whispered. '_It's not safe.' _

'_You're being watched_.' The male voice was more urgent, but just as quiet, just a thought in his mind.

And then, as quickly as they'd been there, they were gone. All in all, the warning seemed creepy...but Ethan was sure he wasn't going near the woods that night. Instead of scaring him, as it was probably meant to, he only felt an odd twinge of annoyance. Even though they were just trying to help, he could handle himself. And plus, Grandma had put protection charms on the room, as she always did, and those should keep Benny safe while he was gone...Grandma could handle herself. With this thought, Ethan set off to go find some food.

The streets were quiet, and the night air was cool and wet from the rain that'd just passed. Ethan saw a few others wandering the streets, one man with a briefcase, and two people who appeared to be a couple. There was also a diner just across the street, as grandma said, and when he entered, Ethan could tell the place had been around a LONG time. The creaky wooden floorboards, chipping paint, and endless decade decorations that crowded the walls spoke for themselves, but it had a cosy feeling Ethan liked, and there was only one other man sitting at a table in the back. It reminded him of a place his own grandma had always taken him to back when she was alive.

"What can I get you, sweetie?" A young, pretty waitress asked. Ethan quickly scanned over the menu, and ordered the second to largest steak on the menu, medium rare, and a bowl of what they called 'pioneer soup'.

"I'm sure you wouldn't like it." The waitress said softly. "Most teenagers don't find it all that appealing."

"I'm not like most teenagers." Was Ethan's easy reply, and that was that as the blonde clicked away on red heels to place in his order.

To kill time, Ethan found himself drawing in a notepad -always at the ready in his jacket pocket- straining to remember the faces of his apparent saviors. The woman known as Tasha, with her carefully sculpted, thick spikes, intense eyes, and the few freckles that dusted her nose and cheeks. The man, young and athletic, with great looks and his hair dripping in front of his eyes with the pouring rain. And then finally, around fifteen minutes later, a more painful image, of a terrifying wolffish face in the night. White teeth and large claws, like knives and a glare just as sharp and frightening.

"What's that?" The waitress from before asked, quietly, but Ethan still jumped.

"Oh.." He shook himself out of his memories. "Uh, nothing, just a stupid drawing for my mythology class." The seer replied with a shrug, surprised atheism self for lying so easily.

"You're really good." She smiled. "That monster looks like it's just about to jump off the page."

_Monster_...

Ethan manages a smile back and then closes the small booklet, slipping it into his pocket again, secure. "Thanks. I didn't actually know I could draw up until a few nights ago." He admitted.

"Why not? Usually, it takes people a few practice runs to just sit there and draw like that." She shook her head, a bewildered look on her face. "My friend Ashley can do that. I'm so jealous." She smiles again, softly. A dazzling sort of smile that just brightens her whole face, and Ethan realizes that he'd missed it at first. He'd been so distracted by hunger, but now...

"Uh, thanks, and...I don't know." He shrugs again, returning the smile as best as he could. With her blonde locks and blue eyes, she reminded him somewhat of Erika, but her voice and smile had real warmth. "Im Ethan."

"I'm Danielle. It's nice to meet you."

"You too." Ethan gestures to the chair opposite him as he takes a sip of some water that she'd brought for him. "Wanna sit?"

"Actually, I think your foods just about done, and I also think you have other company." She looked over his shoulder, and Ethan did the same, spotting the man he'd seen when he first came in approaching the table. "I'll be right back." With that, the blonde was gone, and the man still approached, sitting down without invitation as he sat at Ethan's little table.

"Want some company?" The man asked with a smile that sent a chill down Ethan's spine. For whatever reason, Ethan was suddenly on edge, but accepted the man's offer of a handshake anyway.

"Sure." Ethan rubbed his arm through his jacket, feeling goosebumps creeping across his skin with the air this man brought. "Why not?"

"It's a bit late for you to be out, isn't it, boy?" He asked, slipping off his leather jacket to reveal an equally black shirt underneath. The man himself had skin the color of mocha, black hair buzzed to almost nonexistence, deep brown eyes, and features that weren't overall unattractive. He looked to be somewhere in his mid twenties or early thirties.

"I would say the same to you." Ethan replied with some effort as Danielle walked towards their table with a large tray full of several plates. "So, what _are_ you doing out?"

"Just wandering." The man shrugged. "The boss scheduled me a meeting..but it's not for another ten minutes or so."

"I hope it goes well."

"As do I." He smiled warmly at the blonde as she set the trays carefully in front of them. "Thank you, sweetheart. Could I possibly get some coffee as well? If its not too much trouble."

"Sure can." She turned to Ethan. "Is there anything else you'd like with your water while I'm away?"

"Um...orange juice." Ethan picked a drink at random. "Thanks."

"And how's your night out?" The man asked as Ethan immediately began eating his food, remembering his hunger and deciding that he didn't have a good feeling about this guy...so why should he care about manners?

"Alright." Ethan answered, still chewing. "Just came out to get something to eat, is all. Doing a little late night searching for my best friend's birthday." He decided to be honest. He _was_ going to go on a search for birthday gifts for Benny after he got back, since he suspected he'd be up for many more hours.

"Hungry?" The man asked, training his eyes creepily on Ethan, his food and coffee untouched.

"Yeah." Ethan replied, throwing all dignity aside as he brought his whole steak up to his teeth with a fork and bit into it brutally, met with almost no resistance to the thick meat. "A friend of mine took me to a vegan restaurant earlier, but salads and imitation meat didn't really do it for me."

"No it usually doesn't for your kind." Ethan froze, and the other gave a small smile. "Especially at so young."

"Here you go." The blonde clicked back to the table and smiled at the teen. Ethan only just managed a small smile back and a quiet 'thank you'.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Ethan managed, trying to play dumb and took a bite into one of his fries.

"Why don't we both quit pretending here, Ethan?" The man sighed. "I quit pretending to be a stranger that just bumped into you in an Ontario small town restaurant, and you quit pretending to be oblivious."

"You _are_ a stranger, and I _did_ just bump into you." Ethan pointed out, now tense as he gripped the fork in his hand. "And I don't believe I told you my name...what, are you guys stalking me?"

"Don't be upset." The man held up his hands, a friendly smile now plastered on his face. "We've been looking out for you for years, boy." Ethan's blood ran cold.

'_Ignore him_.' Someone whispered in his mind. _'Stay inside.' _

"Why don't we take this outside?" Ethan asked in a very, _very_ measured voice, successfully coming across as angry when really he was shaking underneath. Was this the man who'd been watching him earlier? And why was Tasha talking to him, now? Did this man mean trouble?

When they stepped out onto the sidewalk, Ethan grounded himself, and turned on the man.

"Okay, who the hell are you, and why are you following me?" Ethan spat. "I don't want any trouble."

"You and me both." The man held out his hand, receiving only a glare. "My name is Markus, and I'm here to welcome you."

"I don't want your welcome." Ethan's eyes narrowed. "You don't think I felt you watching me earlier? I want you to leave me alone. I told you I don't want any trouble, which is exactly what your going to get if you don't quit following us."

"Your on the wrong side of this war, Ethan."

"What war? I'm not a part of anything! I don't even know what your talking about!" Ethan managed not to stutter as he began realizing maybe he DID know something about it. Was this really happening? The confrontation he'd been waiting for, to confirm everything he thought were just dreams? There wasn't room for doubt anymore.

"I know your lying." The man stepped closer, causing Ethan to become ever more uncomfortable, more fearful. "We've seen your dreams, young Seer...or should I say, _werewolf_?" Ethan's insides did a flip. "We've lived your dreams. That red furred monster you dream of? Well that's an ally of mine, named Sylvan. He's a werewolf too, and we also know you've been having trouble adapting to the new changes in your life."

"I'm doing just fine!" Ethan nearly yelled. "I know who my allies are, and their certainly not the ones who turned me into _this_!" He gestured at himself, and was surprised when he felt a powerful surge of anger corse through him, suddenly reminded of all the downsides to being the monster he was becoming. "No friends of mine would've condemned me to this!"

"I agree, they should've used other, more effective means first...nonetheless, they thought in passing on the curse, it would make you see things their way. As I can plainly see, it didn't have the desired outcome."

"What curse?"

"Nothing you need to worry about at the moment. Oh, but there is something else, before I leave." The man 's lips twitched up in a humorless smile. "I wasn't just sent here to make small talk, Ethan." And then the next thing he knew, Ethan was airborne, flying into the trees behind the little diner, and the breath left him all at once as his back slammed into an evergreen.

"Sorry about that." Markus apologized, though he didn't sound too sorry. "We need to release all those pent up emotions inside you, boy. It'll change you for the better." He picked up Ethan -still trying to catch his breath- by the collar of his shirt. "Build up your immunity and make you strong." Then, he bit into the flesh of the Seer's neck, tearing a pained cry from the younger male's lips.

"Get...off!" Ethan managed, and mustering strength he didn't know he had, forced the man to release his grip on him as he threw him backward. "What the hell, dude?" Ethan panted. "I'm not changing for you!"

'_Use your instincts_!' A new, lighter voice screamed at him from within his mind. '_Let them take over! You're a werewolf, Ethan. Our kind are created to kill vampires!' _

His nerves combined with the encouragement from an ally he'd never truly met had him feeling he knew exactly what this man wanted from him. But Ethan wasn't going to just comply to his wishes...no, instead, the young seer went with his gut and used newfound speed to crash into his opponent, spinning, and sending them both flying deeper into the woods. Once they landed, however, Ethan found himself quickly overcome by the older vampires strength, and was pinned to the ground.

"How about it, Morgan?" The vampire asked. "Come back to Whitechapel with me? I promise, it'll be absolutely painless." Again, he bit into Ethan's flesh, into his shoulder this time, and Ethan yelled in pain.

_'You can do it, seer! You were born to fight evil!' _

"Forget it!" Ethan ground out. "I'm not evil...and I'm never going to be."

"Come on, Morgan." The mans deep brown eyes now stared coldly into his own. "You'll become more powerful than you've ever been before, with powerful allies. And your family will be left alone too, granted they stay out of our way." This angered the young seer-turned-werewolf, and he found renewed energy inside him, giving him the strength to push the vampire away from him.

It was then that Ethan began to learn a fraction of how to fight back in a situation like this, and pushed himself, ever forward, breaking the vampires strength until finally, he was in a position to stand. When the teen finally did find his feet on the ground, he grabbed the vampire by his jacket and slammed him up against a large pine. Again and again, Ethan slammed him against the tree, fighting the fear that came with the view of fangs snapping inches from his face, and eventually beginning to claw the mans neck and chest with nails suddenly much too sharp to be considered human.

It was then also that Ethan learned a few things about being a werewolf, and about himself.

"Listen, you stupid little prick." Ethan slammed him back again on the tree and it was Markus' turn to let out a pained yell, and Ethan felt just a little tinge of guilt. "If I EVER find out you've been hunting someone I love, believe me, I won't hesitate to hunt you ALL down and destroy you." Ethan snarled, meaning his words and for the first time, saw fear flash quickly in and out of the other mans eyes. "I've got allies of my own, got it? I can train myself, and I _am_ adapting, very quickly, so I'd suggest you'd think twice before pissing me off."

Even if Ethan didn't completely believe his own words, it seemed to have some effect onolder vampire, and Ethan watched with a wicked pride as fear once again entered the man's eyes.

And it was then that Ethan learned exactly how to bite like a werewolf, shoving the others jacket off and sinking his suddenly razor sharp teeth into the mans neck. Deciding the piercing scream wasn't enough, Ethan bit a little deeper and the pulled away, tearing some of the vampires flesh along with him, and stepping back before swiping a hand from his forehead to his chin, and then again from his neck to his stomach.

The dark skinned vampire dropped to the ground, screaming in agony, and the next second, he was up and running through the woods, stumbling before gaining vampire speed. Ethan decided it was a good thing the vampire had run away like a coward, because almost immediately after, he fell to his knees, shaking, and threw up everywhere.

_'Oh God...'_ Ethan moaned to himself, continuing to empty the contents of his stomach. The vampire blood tasted no better coming up than it did going down. '_I can't believe myself! Why did I just do that?! HOW did I just do that?' WHAT did I just do!?'_ As his vision shifted the world in alarming ways, Ethan crawled several feet further into the woods before collapsing next to a rather large tree, curling into a fatal position. He shivered and coughed as the aftermath of what he'd just done washed over him.

'_That was disgusting_.' Ethan shook a little more, sitting up and throwing up again, and again until there was absolutely nothing left to come up. Even so, he continued to dry-heave for another ten minutes. But the grass was cool and moist, and soothed Ethan's hot, sticky skin, and the moon was also visible through the treetops, bringing a tiny bit of comfort to the sick teen.

'I can't believe myself." Ethan groaned again, dragging himself to his feet. 'What did I just do?'

Still grumbling in discomfort and slight pain, Ethan nearly tripped over a thick piece of fabric, but caught himself on a tree. Growling lightly, he looked down, and then smirked as he caught sight of the vampires jacket he'd torn off. Not far was his sunglasses, and Ethan could help but give a little laugh, picking up the offensive object, and not thinking much of it, took it with him as he headed for his abandoned seat at the restaurant.

Entering the diner, Ethan tried to keep any limo from his walk, and hurried for the restrooms. Upon arrival, he discovered that the bathroom only had one toilet, and it was very small. But it was clean, cool, and the walls were decorated with pictures of 80's bands. Throwing off his own sweater, he splashed his face and neck with cool water, and tried to scrub out his mouth the best he could with water and paper towels, even going as far as to swish hand soap around in his mouth.

After thoroughly -maybe a little _too_ thoroughly- scrubbing his mouth and hands, he exited the bathroom, and made his way to the table he'd left, and was surprised to see that both dinners and beverages had been moved into to-go containers. From the kitchen came the girl from before, Danielle, who smiled brightly when she saw Ethan.

"I didn't think you would come back." She said with a small laugh, and then gestured to the styrofoam containers.

"Me either." Ethan replied lightly, but meaning his words. He realized at that moment that what had just occurred had been his first actual _fight_.

"I put you and your friend's food away, if you don't mind. I promise, I didn't touch any of it."

"It's okay." Ethan smiled back. "Sorry about that. He had to leave in a hurry, and so do I, sort of." He said, apologetically as he shakily handed her the money for his food, with a big tip.

"I thought as much." Danielle smiled ruefully. "And I don't need a tip, Ethan...but I would really like to call you sometime." She tried to hand it back, with a shy smile but instead Ethan held up his hands.

"Keep it, I want you to have it." Ethan smiled again, more genuinely this time. "But I think I'd like to have your number too, Danielle."

**XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO**

"Ah!" Ethan nearly fell backwards as a light suddenly flicked on in the formerly black room. "Oh, hey Benny." He smiled sheepishly, realizing he'd been caught. Discreetly, where he'd actually dropped the leather jacket, he kicked it to the side, into the bathroom.

"What's up, E?" Benny asked with a smile from his chair in the corner of the room.

"Nothing...just got really hungry and went across the street to get something to eat." He held up the plastic bag and shook it. "Want some?"

"Sure." Benny got up and crossed the room. "I'm starving." He plopped down at another chair near a small table near the entry to the large room and began opening the containers, examining the contents. "You got breakfast."

Ethan winced uncomfortably as Benny begin to eat the vampires food. Granted, he hadn't touched his food or drink -which turned out to be coffee- but it still gave Ethan the chills.

"Want orange juice?" Ethan asked, placing a cup with a stray in front of Benny. It was still cold, as ice still sloshed around within the large cup.

"Sure...hey, E? Who was that blonde?" Benny asked suddenly. Ethan's eyes were trained on him in an instant.

"What?" Ethan nearly yelled, causing Benny to jump.

"What?" Benny exclaimed, looking rather uncomfortable. "I woke up and you weren't here...so I asked Grandma where you were and she told me you went to the diner across the street. He shrugged, not making eye contact as he placed another bite of food in his mouth. "I went looking for you but I saw you talking to a girl, so I didn't want to interrupt." He looked up then, if only for a second. "Get her number, E? She was totally hot."

_'Didn't want to interrupt?'_ Ethan thought, disbelieving. _'_Benny_ didn't want to interrupt something?'_ As he thought this, he also noted the change in the way his best friend spoke, like he was straining to sound casual. Trying too hard to sound normal. It would've fooled anyone else, but after ten years of friendship, Ethan caught the mistake immediately.

Wait...did Benny see something between Markus and Ethan? Did someone else come to interrogate _him_?

"Umm..." Ethan suddenly found himself straining to sound normal, much like Benny was. "Uh, yeah...her name was Danielle, and as a matter of fact, I did get her number!" Ethan tried for a smile and pushed up his jacket sleeve, showing the pink highlighter digits that decorated his pale skin.

"Awesome, dude!" Benny grinned, but there was that forced look again, and Ethan grew more nervous. If any one of them had hurt Benny..."Wait!" The other said suddenly, pushing up his jacket sleeve further, with a warm hand. "Your bleeding, E...and your really cold!"

"Its fine, Ben." Ethan panicked momentarily, but quickly got a grip on himself, pulling off his jacket and praying to god there weren't any scratches or tears on his skin or shirt. Luckily, there was none. "That blonde? Well she was kind of a klutz too, and she spilled some dirty dishes on me when she walked by. It must be some sauce, or something." Ethan tried not to feel worried about lying, figuring Benny would never meet Danielle, and wouldn't discover his dishonesty. "I'm going to take a shower, okay, B?"

"Okay..." Benny bit his lip, still eyeing the stains on Ethan's soiled blue shirt, and as he slipped away, Ethan immediately checked his body for damage.

Spying no signs of broken bones, he only found bruises and a few healing scratches on his legs and back. Recalling the incident of how he acquired them, Ethan bent over the toilet and proceeded to feel sick, though nothing came up.

**AN: Well, people, here it is. I know this was similar to last chapter, where Ethan hears voices in his head, and Benny sleeps in a hotel room, and there wasn't enough Bethan, but trust me, there will be in upcoming chapters. I'm not sure if I like this chapter, but the next one'll be better, I'm sure...maybe...I hope so. Well, at least the word count was up there. Almost fove thousand. *fist bumps the air* **

**What'd you think, peeps? Drop me a review!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter Ten:** Seventeen Candles

**!WARNING! So, guys, I've made it clear from the beginning that this was a slash story, as in male/make pairing. If you don't understand and like that, then you should probably leave for your own good, and also because I don't** **want you reading my story anyway. It will take that turn for mature "M" chapters in the future (can't promise when). **

**AN/DEDICATION: I'd like to dedicate this chapter to an epic reader who'd been here since the beginning, reads all my Bethan stories, and always gives long, positive feedback. Her username is BethanForever! Ain't NO ONE as dope as you! xP You're support is awesome, and it's really you that makes me feel guilty about not updating my stories sooner. Thanks for liking my stories! xx I hope to see a lot more of you. **

**Sorry, guys, if I seem like I'm picking favorite readers, but BethanForever, I think, really deserves this recognition, even if its only in this little authors note. She, along with some others, is always unexpectedly enthusiastic in her reviews, and I really love that. I appreciate **every** review that pops up.**

**Enjoy! (With any luck.) **

**XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO **

"I'm seriously freaking out!" Ethan hissed into the phone. "I don't know what to get him! I've been in here, literally, for hours."

"You have to come across something, sometime. Don't you already have a present for Benny?" He could almost hear Sarah rolling her eyes. "Just keep looking, and would you mind picking up some more salt while your there? We're kind if all out."

"How could we be out of salt? Who runs out of salt?" Ethan asks, studying some watches and fancy compasses through a glass counter.

"We do, obviously. Rory was-"

"Enough said. Look, I gotta go. Benny's trying to call again, and I've been blowing him off all day, so I've gotta hurry up."

"He and Grandma are still out of town?" Sarah asked, a hint of nervousness in her voice.

"Yeah, but they'll be here in about two hours."

"Got it, bye!"

"Bye." Ethan hung up, glancing down at the watches again, eyeing one in particular as he set off to find an employee to get it out of the glass for him.

After he'd left the store called 'Things Remembered' he went around searching for another gift -or gifts- and found himself at a sports store. There, he bought several other items, and quickly searched the huge mall for other ideas. He was sure that Benny would be satisfied with what he'd gotten him, but really, the seer was just searching for anything else that really spoke to him.

One movie in particular stood out to him when he passed a movie store. Yep, you guessed it, Jacuzzi Time Machine, Benny's favorite movie of all time. Things had turned out better than expected, and he'd even scored some considerably cool wrapping paper.

Letting out a sigh of relief, Ethan jogged out to Sarah's car she'd been kind enough to borrow him, and was soon speeding towards the Weir home. Great. Now all he had to do was go home, pick up the card he'd originally gotten for Benny, go to Benny's house, wrap the presents, clean Benny's predictably untidy room, pick up the food they were soon to order, and tie up any loose ends. With any luck, Ethan would have time to shower and such before Grandma and Benny got home.

Grandma knew about this of course, but Benny didn't. His friends had been pretty much avoiding him all week, save for when Ethan'd come over to help him study for mid terms, but otherwise, he'd made the excuse that he'd been helping Sarah with an important project (not entirely a lie, but still pretty shady). Ethan felt bad though, especially since he hadn't said "happy birthday" to his friend at all today, and he didn't like the feeling that accompanied it.

**XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX **

Ethan scowled as his phone lit up, vibrating violently with a certain nocturnal superhero's name across the screen. Benny'd gotten a hold of his phone one day, and changed his ID from "Benny" to "Batman". He pressed "reject" and bit his lip regretfully as he pulled up to Benny's home, grabbing the bags of takeout from the backseat. On his way in, he passed the bags over to Sarah and Erika and quickly sprinted up the stairs.

Calling Benny back as quick as he could, he flopped down on his friend's formerly made bed.

"Hey E." Benny greeted dejectedly.

"Hey Benny." Ethan tried to answer normally. "What's up? Sorry about earlier, I kind of had something to take care of before I picked up the phone."

"S'okay. Nothing, me and Grandma are just headed into town, thought you'd like to know."

"Oh? How'd things go?"

"Alright I guess. Not too many things changed about that town since we were last there, and Grandma dropped off her food at the funeral. You know, because nothing says 'sorry for your loss' than lasagna and rhubarb pie. Ow!" Ethan couldn't help but chuckle as he heard Grandma scold her grandson. "Anyway, I didn't eat at all. It's weird eating at funerals. Wanna go get something? I'm starving." _'That's good.'_ Ethan thought. _'We've got all your favorite food.'_

"Uh...actually I just ate, and Sarah kinda needs help with her project, and I'm going over to her place. But I'll catch up with you later okay?"

"Okay." Ethan felt worse as he recognized the suppressed hurt in Benny's voice. "Bye Ethan." And that was the end of that.

Reminding himself that this was for a good cause, Ethan began pushing Benny's presents under the now clean floor under the bed along with the card he'd gotten, and straightened out the sheets once again. Sitting down at Benny's computer chair, he yelled that Benny and Grandma were in town, before signing his new, less awesome card for Benny and sealing the cheap paper with a lick.

"Their here!" He heard Sarah shout from downstairs and Ethan's heart lept. "Your creepy friends are here too!"

"Coming!" Ethan yelled down the stairs as he ran, registering that Cody and Senna were there too, and hoping they would play along with what they were doing. "Someone get the lights!" It was already dark outside, and the absence of lights would make it near pitch black.

"Wait! I forgot to take out the lightbulbs!" Rory yelled and flew up to the ceiling to twist the bulbs out of their sockets, so Benny would have no choice but to make his way to the dining room if he wanted light.

"Grandma! Can we order takeout?" Benny complained from outside the door as the keys jingled in the slots.

"Get down!" Erika hissed and Rory blurred over to hide behind a chair next to Sarah with a girly squeak as the door in the other room swing open. They could hear the hallway light click on, and then off, with no response from the empty socket. "Grandma!" He whined. "The lights are out!"

"Well the porch light is on!" They could hear Cody yell. "Try another one!" Benny drug himself over to the kitchen and flicked the lights on, once again being met with darkness. "What the heck?" They could see a small light shining across the ceiling, and Ethan's heart sped up a little more as he tensed with anticipation. He could see clearly, even in the darkness, a smiling Cody and Senna on either side of Benny. "Why aren't there any lightbulbs? Grandma?" Benny asked as he walked into the dining room and then flicking on the light as the four in the dining area sprang up from behind the table and shot confetti guns.

"Surprise!" They yelled as one, and laughed at the shock on Benny's face as the two behind him also shot confetti over their heads and the shiny paper material rained down on him.

"What?" Benny asked, not yet registering what was going on. The three vampires in the room then pulled each a lighter gun and lit the seventeen individual candles atop the ice cream cake, as well as the big, glamorous candle in the center shaped as '17'.

They then proceeded to sing "Happy Birthday" to Benny, as the teen struggled to regain his composure. His red, flustered face expressed everything though, and Cody swung an arm around his shoulders for comfort. When the singing had ceased and the candles were blown out, everyone clapped and cheered as the spellmaster slumped back against the wall.

"I told you they didn't forget!" Grandma smirked as she walked into the room.

"You knew about this?" Benny asked in a small voice, his face still burning. "I feel betrayed. All of you have been acting so stuck up this whole week!" He gave a small laugh, earning some smiles from the surrounding people.

"Sorry Benny." Rory shrugged, and then grinned. "But you were surprised weren't you?"

"Yeah." Benny said, smiling himself as Ethan stepped up to give him a high five, and a quick hug before throwing an arm around his shoulder. "You ignored me this whole week." Benny accused, making the Seer grin sheepishly. "You pretended like you didn't know it was my birthday! I felt bad all day!"

"Sorry bro." Ethan smiled up at his friend. "It was necessary!"

"But dudes!" Rory strode forward, holding a long knife in one hand, and placing his arm around Benny's other shoulder. "Did you see that wicked cake? It's completely oreo'd out!" He exclaimed as they took steps forward to the table. "So, you gonna cut it?" the blonde asked, handing over the knife.

"It's bad luck if you don't." Ethan agreed.

**XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX**

"So, Ben?" Ethan asked nervously as he sat down beside his friend. Sitting on his other side was Sarah, smiling in a friendly way as she got up to go talk to Erika, across the room.

"What up, E?" Benny asked, taking a big bite of his Italian pizza.

"Uh...after setting up everything, I didn't really get the chance to do some serious shopping." He began, and continued when he saw that Benny wasn't really phased by this. "So, I did get you something, but it's probably not that good of a present."

"That's okay, E." Benny said with only a hint of awkwardness in his voice. "You didn't need to get me anything."

"Well I did, sort of." Ethan said, his hesitant smile still intact as he handed over a small birthday themed bag and a card. "Oh! And I got you a card too." Benny set down his plate and opened the card first, as was tradition.

After receiving a non personal quote from the card, Benny smiled and reached into the bag, pulling out 'Jacuzzi Time Machine' on DVD.

"Dude! I've been looking for this forever!" Benny exclaimed, twisting the shiny plastic case in his fingers.

"I know.' Ethan smiled. "You're the first person I thought of when I seen it."

"Thanks E." Benny smiled, wrapping an arm around his friend after a pause. "I forgive you for almost making me cry with this whole thing " Ethan laughed.

"Sorry about that." He grinned. "Oh, but my mom and dad remembered, and they wanted me to give these to you." He then handed over another card and two different boxes.

When Benny opened the card, he caught the few dollars that fell from it to 'keep hydrated at school' and laughed at the singing science fiction themed characters as they shook around on the card. He then lifted the lids off of the space themed boxes, one cubed, and one long and skinny, and pulled out first a Darth Vader stress toy from the shorter box.

"That one's from mom." Ethan smiled. "For when you get mad at out video games for 'making you lose.'" He laughed and Benny found himself grinning anyway.

"This is awesome, but hopefully I won't have to use it too often." He laughed and then his face really lit up as he uncovered Ross' gift. "This is so epic!" Benny near shouted as he pulled the small plastic cases from inside the box. "How'd he know?!"

"He said he went out looking for them so you'd quit complaining about them everytime you came over." Ethan said eyeing the laser tripwires and rechargeable batteries.

"Why'd they spend so much money?" Benny asked to no one in particular. "I'm pretty sure your mom had to look online for the DV stress toy and these lasers aren't cheap when you get the good ones."

"Your like another one of their kids." Ethan laughed. "When you live next door, go on family vacations, raid their fridge every time you come over and basically live in my room, things like this happen."

"I'll come over later to tell them thanks." Benny smiled, laughing also just as Erika strode forward from her current spot across the room, with a quite uncharacteristic smile on her face.

"Hey Benny, can you come here for a second? Cody and Kenna want to show you something out front."

"Cody and _Senna_?" Benny asked and with a nod from Ethan, got up to go along with the blonde.

"Whatever. They don't care to get _my_ name right." She rolled her eyes before composing herself again, but her nice demeanor had broken, and Ethan found himself gazing at her suspiciously. She held on to a surprised Benny's arm as they began to walk away. "Oh, and Ethan, Evelyn wants you in her office."

"Okay.." Ethan got up, and watched the couple walk away before walking up the stairs to Grandma's study.

"Ethan!" Grandma smiled when he arrived. "There you are. First, I wanted to say 'thank you' for cleaning up the house. You said you were going to clean, but you kind of went overboard." She smiled.

"Oh, we'll...thanks?" Ethan struggled to find words and smiled back at her. "It looks like it payed off, though."

"Benny seems to have been enjoying himself tonight. But that's not what I wanted you to talk to you about." She smiled, rather reluctantly. "I didn't want to tell Benny, and stress him out in his birthday, and I've already told the vampires, because they'll be leaving soon...I've been sensing some new energy in town, some supernatural energy, and it's strong." Ethan's eyebrows furrowed.

"What do you mean? Like Jesse, again?"

"Not exactly...this is different, and it's starting to worry me. It comes and goes, and most of the time it leaves for weeks at a time,...but I've been feeling different entities entering Whitechapel periodically over the last few weeks."

"Who are they?" Ethan asked, only slightly becoming fidgety. It was times like these that he felt Grandma knew everything, as if he was exposed to her, and all his lies were lied out on the floor in front of him. Of course he knew this wasn't true, that she couldn't really _see through_ him, because if she could, he probably wouldn't be there right then.

"I don't know, and I can't tell if they're here to harm us or not, and thats what worries me." Her own eyebrows frowned in thought. "But can you keep a look out? For yourself, anyway? And tell me if your having any strange visions? I'm worried about this, Ethan."

"Of course I will." Ethan smiled, with some effort. "I suppose that now is a good time as ever to tell you about the dreams I've been having...well, I can't tell for sure what it was that got me. It was all really unclear.." This was true. Ethan didn't know precisely for himself what had happened. "But I do remember it was big...it had strength like you wouldn't believe, and eyes that glowed green."

He went on to tell her how the rest of the memories went, leaving out the parts that would essentially give away that it was a werewolf, and the parts that would reveal himself as a werewolf. He also left out names and descriptions, telling Grandma that it had been so dark that night, and his mind had been on more painful things than to register who'd been helping him. "It hurt like you wouldn't believe.." He told as much of the truth as possible without totally giving himself, and his newfound friends away.

"I'm sorry, Ethan." Grandma had the biggest frown on her face by the time he was finished. "I had no idea..."

"Neither did I.." Ethan smiled.

"Well...I'll take time to think about this. Do you mind if I tell the others?" She asked.

"Well, it's fine if you tell Cody and Senna, but I wouldn't really like you to repeat this to Benny just yet...I kinda haven't told him too much. Not all of the details."

"But you _will_ tell him? He has to find out sometime, and he wouldn't like you keeping this from him."

"Of course." Ethan smiled. "I'll tell him everything...just not today." Ethan's smile then faded momentarily with an indescribable emotion as he glanced out the two story window and caught sight of his best friend kissing Erika.

**XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX**

"This was officially the best birthday ever!" Benny exclaimed as he fell onto his bed at the end of the night.

"I liked Rory's present." Ethan commented from across the room. "He must've had a hard time giving up those X-Men playing cards."

"All my presents were awesome." Benny agreed, but then made a face. "But they made me feel like a total geek!"

"You _are_ a total geek." Ethan teased.

"Well, I like other things than science fiction!" Benny protested. "I'm still a person!"

"Cody and Senna seemed to get that idea." Ethan smiled. "Your old bike's been too rusted for years."

"Yeah." Benny smiled, and then frowned slightly. "Hey E?" He sat up in his bed and started pulling off his shoes. "You know when Erika pulled me outside and told you Grandma was looking for you?"

"Yeah..." Ethan tensed slightly. He remembered the kiss between Benny and Erika with a wince. He wasn't sure why it had nagged at him so much. He'd seen them kiss before...maybe it was because Ethan was steadily starting to really dislike Erika. He didn't want Benny to start hanging out...he thought, maybe, Benny'd start acting like her. He wouldn't need to spend time with Ethan anymore.

"Well, she led me outside, and Cody and Senna showed me the bike they got me. It was really cool and everything, and then when they left...Erika kissed me." Benny said the last part rather quietly.

"I know." Ethan smiled ruefully. "I saw you guys out Grandma's window."

"You were watching!?"

"No! I just happened to glance out when me and Grandma were talking." Ethan tried to make his smile genuine. "But anyway, nice! How's that for a birthday present?"

"Well, it wasn't the best one of the day." Benny surprised Ethan as he grimaced.

"I thought you liked Erika?" Ethan asked, confused.

"Well, I did...but the kiss wasn't that good." Benny looked uncomfortable. "I was disappointed, actually. I mean, this whole day was great! I totally wasn't expecting you guys to do this for me! But when she kissed me..." Benny sighed.

"Were her fangs out?" Ethan wondered.

"No...but I don't think I like her anymore. When she kissed me, it wasn't...personal. I was trying to feel something, but then I realized that Sarah probably put her up to it." Benny scowled. "Erika doesn't really like me...and I don't really like her. She might be hot, but she's too stuck up." Ethan laughed at that, and Benny eventually joined in.

"Well that's a relief." Ethan found himself muttering, and Benny's eyebrows rose. The seer mentally cursed himself.

"What?" Benny's voiced was amused, and there was a smile on his face before he composed himself. "Don't tell me _you_ like Erika?"

"Of course not!" Ethan rolled his eyes, and then hesitated before continuing. "I was just thinking earlier that if you and Erika started dating, you would turn like her, and that would be the last I'd ever see of you."

"That'd never happen, E." Benny smiled. "We're not like her. We don't want to hide who we are just to be popular..." Benny trailed off and he looked down at his bed thoughtfully for a few seconds before starting to pull off his shoes again.

"Hey, can I borrow some sweats?" Ethan asked. "I don't like sleeping in jeans."

"You know where they are." Benny replied, pulling off his polo and trading it for a baggy t-shirt. "Throw me some plaid pants too."

"Here." Once they were done getting changed, and sprawled on Benny's floor playing video games, Ethan decided it was about time to give Benny his real presents.

"Hey, Benny?" Ethan asked as they were talking a break from playing.

"Hm?"

"I found something under your bed earlier.." He started, and then began pulling out the presents he had for Benny from under the bed. "...that I think you'd like to see..."

"Aw, E..." Benny laughed as he saw the colored foil presents. "I knew it! I knew you wouldn't forget! But you didn't have to, really.." But Benny couldn't keep the smile off his face.

"That line's way overused." Ethan found himself grinning back. "I wanted to. Now open them! I've been waiting all day! Do the card first!"

"Remember, you're never too old to learn something stupid." Benny grinned at his own face, frozen in mid laugh, and surrounded by orange and grey stripes, much like his favorite polo. He realized Ethan must've customized The card. "Let's get weird..it's your birthday!" Then, from the cover he opened the card to look at the contents, and was surprised to see many pop-up monsters on the pages as well as a night theme with stars and the moon. Even more pleasant was the song that came on upon opening the card. It was the song that he and Ethan had danced to at the vampire party, on the first night they'd found out about the supernatural.

"This was only just over a year ago..." Benny murmured. "It seems like forever."

_'That night changed everything.'_ Benny thought, gazing at the card.

"We've known each other for over eleven years now." Benny started. "And I know this might be sappy, but I wanted you to know how important you are to me, and that I'm so thankful for this month and day in time. It brought me my best friend. Happy Birthday, Benny!" Benny eyed Ethan's signature at the bottom, and bit his lip as his eyes stung.

"I don't know why I'm being so sensitive this month." Benny tried for a laugh, extremely embarrassed as he teared up. He wiped at his eyes with the back of his hand and cursed himself when more rolled down as Ethan placed an arm around Benny's shoulder. "I don't even think I want to open these presents tonight, E." He sniffled and turned his face away slightly. "It just seems too impersonal."

"That's okay, B." Ethan's voice was steady, but seeing how his simple words had affected Benny was making his heart swell with emotion. "Funny how just a few words can do this to do this to you..am I really that unaffectionate with you that I make you cry with a birthday card?" Ethan smiled and tightened his one-armed embrace, trying to comfort the other teen.

"No." Benny found himself really smiling now, but more tears slipped on their own accord, and Ethan handed him a tissue from the box of Kleenex that had been on the bookcase. "I don't know why I'm being so emotional lately.."

"Have you been crying all the time?" Ethan asked in concern.

"No, but a lot more than usual."

"You dont think you're pregnant do you?" Ethan asked seriously, but his grin betrayed him.

"You'd be the first to know." Benny responded and then blushed as he realized what he'd implied. Then both boys were laughing in the former quiet of the house, and spent the rest of the night gaming, watching movies, and eating until the sun came up. Every once in a while, each of the boys caught sight of the card that now rested on Benny's bedside table, and in a moment of sentiment, exchanged a few affectionate gestures. Even then, the presents remained near forgotten under the spellmaster's bed.

**XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX**

**AN: Sorry for the wait, guys, and for any grammar mistakes, but how'd you like the chapter? The chapter itself was acceptionally long, wasn't it? Somewhere around 4,300 words. I think it's moving along nicely... Thanks in advance to those who've reviewed and those who review regularly. **

**What'd you guys think of Benny's birthday? Any comments? Screams of rage? Tears of sadness? Tell me your thoughts! xx**


	11. Chapter 11

**!WARNING! This story is **slash**, blah blah blah, if you're not okay with that, I won't lose any sleep over**** it, blah blah blah, this story **will** take a turn for the** 'M' rating** in the future, can't promise when. **

**AN: Short, boring chapter, people, sorry. Sorry in advance for the long AN at the bottom, and any mistakes. **

**XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO **

Eggs and bacon sizzled in individual non-stick pans as Ethan paced around the kitchen, twisting a kitchen towel in his hands. He was also counting how many steps he'd paced, but had lost track after only a little while, as his attention was elsewhere. He told himself he'd been up and cooking purely for the fact that he still felt kind of bad For ignoring Benny the whole week, and it was fairly true...but he admitted. These werewolf things needed some more getting used to.

In all actuality, Ethan gotten out of bed just hours after the pair had fallen asleep, for two reasons...well actually, one reason. Being a werewolf, his instincts told him to stay up all night anyway, and, being a werewolf, he didn't need to sleep for particuarly long periods of time, especially after he'd done next to nothing the entire day.

He hadn't gotten the chance to do any kind of working out the day before, but just minutes earlier, he'd been outside, in the woods, running around and generally burning energy. He'd found a long time ago that Releasing some of that energy periodically made him feel better.

"You're going to wear a hole in the floor with your pacing." Grandma chided as she sauntered into the kitchen at around one o' clock. She went over to the frying pan and quickly adjusted the food. "And you're going to burn this if you don't watch out."

"Sorry, Grandma."

"It's alright, dear...and would you mind running the house for a bit?" She smiled. "I've got a few errands to run around town before this evening."

"Your leaving now?" Ethan asked as she slipped on a blazer.

"Time flys when you don't know what you're looking for." Grandma scowled. "I would've been gone earlier but I also had some buisness to take care of online as well. Seems like you two had a good night."

"Sure, Grandma, and yeah, sorry about that." Ethan smiled sheepishly. "I suppose Benny'll be up soon."

"Its alright son, and maybe some orange juice or coffee would go good with breakfast." She smiled. "I think I hear Benny upstairs...oh, and Tyson should be over later." She made a face before whispering, "Don't let him in!" She and Ethan shared a hushed laugh before she exited the house to run her errands. After she'd left, Ethan waited patiently in the kitchen, lowering the heat on the stove and making toast.

"Grandma?" Ethan could hear Benny calling from the other room. "Ethan?"

"In the kitchen!" Ethan called just as he was starting to pull plates out of the cupboard.

"You could've woken me up." Benny said as he entered the kitchen.

"I've only been up a while." Ethan made light of his lie, figuring Benny didn't need to worry over his developing 'insomnia'. "Grandma started this but she had to make a run to the store or something." He turned and gave a smile to his friend before handing him a plate.

"Thanks, E." Benny returned the smile and soon the two were sitting at the table, listening to the old radio that sat in the corner of the room.

"So, Sarah wanted us to go to the movies with her and her new jock boyfriend later." Ethan tried for conversation as he picked gingerly at his food.

"I don't know, I don't really feel like theater-going tonight, especially since I've never liked Erik Redding...unless you want to?" Benny scowled before his expression morphed into one of surprise and curiosity. "You okay? You're not eating."

"I guess I'm just still full from last night." Ethan shrugged. "I'm kind of surprised you're actually eating, that was a lot of food yesterday."

"Don't underestimate me, E." Benny smiled. "So, movie?"

"We can hang somewhere else."

"We can stay here and watch Jacuzzi Time Machine!"

"You know every word of that movie by heart." Ethan rolled his eyes but laughed all the same.

"Hey, _you're_ the one who bought it for me."

**XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX**

"Get out of my head!" Ethan muttered with a puff. He'd been feeling someone trying to...well, he didn't really know what they were trying to do. But he'd get a nagging suspicion every so often that someone, somewhere was watching him, or maybe trying to read him somehow. He didn't exactly know how he knew...it was hard to describe, but every instinct he had was telling him to try and protect himself.

But _how_? He had no idea, and since he didn't sense any danger around, all he could think of was to try and put a mental block on his mind, which he didn't know how to do either. So, he calmed his nerves by inserting headphones into his ears and blast a few dozen of his favorite tracks and try not to think at all. He hoped it helped, and in all honesty, it wasn't that hard to lose himself in the sensations of loud music and his lean muscles burning.

What could they want from him? Who were they, anyway? After that fight with Markus the other week, Ethan had a theory about the whole situation, but it wasn't much to go on. The theory was that there was a group, somewhere in or around Whitechapel that had sought him out to be turned into a werewolf. He could only assume that they were evil, and vaguely wondered if Jesse was at the head of it all. The evil vampire was the only one Ethan could think of that would hold a grudge on him, besides the vampire council, maybe.

Any why? Why Ethan? What was so special about him? If they were looking for another monster, there was no shortage of them in this town.

_'Well, I'm not going to give in...to whatever monster they want me to be.'_ Ethan thought, panting lightly as he let go of the tree branch he'd been holding and dropped to the ground below.

It wasn't exactly _hard_ to deal with, his...werewolf-ism, though it did have a rocky beginning. But since then, Ethan had discovered that if he ate a wolf-approved diet, and worked out every so often, he was fine, physically. Whatever sickness he'd had in the beginning had long since gone, though he did have brief relapses.

And then, of course, there was always the possibility that he, and everyone around him just went completely mad.

As he reached for his bag beside the tree's truck, he became aware that someone was trying to call him, and pulled his headphones out. The number on the ID wasn't familiar, but he shrugged it off.

"Hello?" He asked, trying not to sound winded.

"Ethan?" This voice was new to his ears, though Ethan had been hearing it in his head since the day IT happened...

"...Jason?"

**MEANWHILE**

"You notice anything weird about Ethan and Benny?" Tyson asked as he sliced into an apple, making Cody flinch with the sound. He cursed Senna for leaving him alone with this jerk.

"Where do I start?" Cody asked sarcastically, only a hint of bitterness slipping into his tone.

"No, I mean, like supernatural weird. Sure they've both got magical blood, but can't you feel anything else? Something off?" Cody resisted glaring daggers in the other's direction and instead busied himself with sketching out several different objects on a notepad.

"I don't believe either of them would do anything to hurt their family or friends." The raven haired man found himself answering rather uncomfortably.

"So you do feel like there's something going on?"

"I _feel_ like Benny and Ethan have got a lot going on with them." Cody now openly shot looks to kill at the other male. "I don't know what Senna told you about what happened-"

"She did." Tyson interrupted, offering an apple slice and shrugging when Cody stared blankly at him.

"Well, I was actually there the day after it happened." Cody said, and lowered his gaze down to the notepad in his hands, remembering those days with a wave of sadness. "Ethan looked so broken, and Benny looked worse because his best friend almost died." Then, with renewed anger as he looked at his high-school bully. "_You_ weren't there."

"Okay, Cody, I get you don't think that either of them would do anything, but no one knows what really happened to Ethan..or Benny, for that matter-"

"No, you don't get it, asshole!" Cody's hands shook with the effort it took not to take a swing at him. "You didn't see the look in their eyes...the pain and confusion in those days, and then the complete relief when Ethan bounced back from his attack. Yeah, no one knows why he healed so quick, or why he needed to heal at all, but Ethan's a great kid, Tyson. Those boys are _good kids_, and they care about each other. They've got good heads on their shoulders. So, no, I don't think there's anything to worry about."

Both men were silent for a long time after Cody's outburst.

"Sorry." Tyson said after a few minutes, just as Cody was finishing a sketch. "It's just...I like to look at things from every angle, alright?"

"Yeah." Cody agreed quietly.

"I know you probably have." The sandy-haired male shrugged. "But I'm the kind of guy who likes to see for himself, you know? I want to know for myself that those boys are alright...okay?"

"Yeah, I get it." The reply was short and sharp as he sketched away, rubbing his temples occasionally. A certain anger radiated off of him, along with a surprisingly strong sense of protectiveness, and Tyson briefly wondered exactly how much the other male had come to care for those young troublemakers.

"About high school, too." Tyson continued in the quietest voice he'd used all day. "I'm sorry...I didn't know who I was back then, but I'm not that person anymore, I promise."

"It doesn't matter." Cody rolled his eyes, and slipped the notebook into an inside pocket of his jacket. "No need to promise anything. I was over it the minute I left that town." And before Tyson had the chance to say another word, Senna walked through the door, and Cody plastered an overly convincing smile on his face.

"Nice to see you two didn't kill each other." Senna huffed as she placed a few bags on the table of the hotel room.

"We were getting along famously." Tyson smile convincingly enough. "All's good, right Cody?"

"Yeah, we're best friends. Hey Sen, I just got a text from Evelyn, she wants me at her house." Cody said in a single breath and got up from his chair, swinging his messenger bag over his shoulder in one smooth motion. "I'll catch up with you guys later? Kay, bye." He rushed to the door, eager to exit the room.

"But...your leaving your lunch." Senna protested. "Cody, you didn't eat anything today."

"I'll pick up something along the way." He said over his shoulder as he grabbed a pair of sunglasses from the coffee table. Then, he left without another word, closing the door quietly.

"Evelyn's not even home!" Senna shouted at the door. "She's out until this evening!" She sighed. "Was it something I said? Cody loves Chinese food."

"He's been moody all day." Tyson shrugged before looking slightly guilty. "I might've upset him."

"Why?" Senna asked in the most even voice she could. Suddenly she felt guilty as well. Cody often expressed his thoughts that she 'liked' Tyson better than him. Of course it wasn't true! Tyson might've been a friend, but Cody was family. There wasn't a person she was closer to.

"I told him I thought that maybe Ethan or Benny were hiding something." Tyson shrugged, chewing an apple slice. "I've been getting weird vibes lately, but he was pretty insistent that they would never do anything to hurt anyone."

"I don't think they would." Senna shrugged, an smiled. "And I'm not just saying that for Cody's sake. Those boys are surprisingly intelligent and mature for their age, though they can goof off...a lot, from what I've heard from Evelyn." She laughed, and Tyson managed a smile, before gazing at the door Cody disappeared through.

"I'll try and stop being so suspicious...I hope you guys are right."

**XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX**

Cody was still fuming silently, even as he pulled up to the little convenient store down the road. He huffed and then pulled his keys out of the ignition, shoving the kickstand forward with his boot.

"Sorry about high school, my ass." Cody seethed as he strode up to the door's entryway, well aware that he was getting stares as he pulled a grocery cart from near the registers. All in black and layers, Cody looked like he would be sweltering on this particularly warm day, but truth being told, he was so used to his style that he didn't even notice anymore.

Strolling through the isles, Cody didn't really know what he was looking for. All he knew was that the seemingly harmless talk with Tyson had brought a new sensation forth that he hadn't felt in a long time: insecurity.

Even as a kid, he'd always been confident in himself, he was smart and he was strong, in more sense than one. He knew he was fairly attractive, and that drew attention from girls...but he didn't want that. He didn't want someone to like him for his looks, so he got a new style, and after a while, he started to like it, love it, even.

So, unwanted attention went with his dark, brooding demeanor, and he was happy to be left alone. He had confidence, and security.

Until Tyson...that prick.

And then there was Senna, and she made his life a whole lot easier. Senna, a perky blonde girl from a few towns over whom he met regularly for kickboxing class as a child. Eventually, as they stopped going to the same classes, they lost contact. But, when Senna moved to Cody's hometown, and they met again for the first time in years, it was like they'd never even been apart.

Cody smiled, and, in a spontaneous moment, grabbed a few dog treats for Skeeter, a box of instant hot cocoa and a jar of Nutella before checking out and heading back to his bike.

Just as he was arriving, however, the air was suddenly knocked out of him by something he couldn't see, and he dropped to the pavement on his knees.

"Hi there." A sultry male voice greeted, and suddenly the open air in front of rippled, and in its place were a pair of boots and blue jeans. Every instinct he had was telling him to either run or fight, and immediately, even without some supernatural insight, he knew this guy wasn't good news. Disoriented, but recovering quickly enough, Cody began to stand, catching a glimpse of red hair and striking blue eyes.

"Hey." Cody managed, and had just enough time to register that the man was smiling at him before he blacked out.

**XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO**

**AN: Fuck, guys. I don't know about this chapter. It was really sketchy...and I'm definitely NOT satisfied by it, but it needed to happen. Compared to how fast I could've written, this chapter took forever...you ever have this thing where you have serious writers block, and you decide just to write anyway, and then everything goes to hell and you have to start all over? Well, this was one of those chapters. I knew what needed to happen, but I didnt know what the hell I was doing, and it probably turned out boring as hell, sorry. **

**On that happy note, with any luck the next chapter will be up, and will include a hella lot more Bethan, and will hopefully be more entertaining. (x Review, please? I noticed someone new followed my story...but didn't review. The nerve! **


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12: The Monster **

**WARNING! This story is slash, as in boy/boy, I've been through this many times.**

**AN: Hey! I've been through HELL to get this updated! Enjoy, and sorry for he long wait. I hope this makes up for it.**

**X**

Ethan huffed as he was knocked to the ground once again by the blonde vampire. Jason stood over him, panting also as he held up the hot tree branch he'd been using for a weapon.

"That was good." Jason approved, nodding to the teen on the forest floor.

"No it wasn't." Ethan groaned. "Dude, I can't even walk, let alone try and block a flaming tree branch at fifty miles per hour."

"Come on, Ethan, this is the easy part of training!" Jason grinned and Ethan only gave him a dirty look. The vampire couldn't help himself and laughed. "Okay, I'm kidding. I know this has to be hard for you."

"It's been two weeks, Jace." Ethan sat up, patting absently at some smoking patches on his shirt. "I'm not gonna get this. When will I ever have to do this in a real fight anyway?"

"You'd be surprised." Jason replied.

"God." Ethan sighed and gazed up at the sky where the sun was almost directly overhead. "It's too early."

"I guess." Jason agreed, slipping on a pair of sunglasses. "Wanna head home?"

"Yeah." Ethan answered immediately. "I need sleep." He got up and stretched his arms over his head, feeling several joints creak back into place, and pausing thoughtfully as his stomach growled. "And food..and then more sleep."

"You've earned it." Jason smiled. "You gonna be okay on the way back? I gotta run...eight in the morning is always the worst for me."

"Yeah." Ethan smiled back. "It's just a couple miles. See ya tonight."

"Tonight, then." The vampire was off in a blur of colors, and Ethan began the two and a half mile walk home-the easiest part of his training. Ethan usually ran the distance to warm up, but now he could relax, and he had a lot to think over, including a certain spellmaster who was starting to get just a little frustrated with him.

Over the past weeks, Ethan had been forced to pretty much neglect all of his family and friends. Ever since he met Jason and the blonde vampire had explained to him how dire it was for him to begin the change, that's what he'd been focusing all his energy and time on. He went to school, and sometimes he would be able to send a quick text to Benny and slip out unnoticed, but other times his best friend would catch up to him...and he would have to make up a new lie.

He didn't enjoy it...but it was better than the alternative. It tugged at his heartstrings to think about, but it was true. Benny couldn't find out about all of this...not yet. Not when Ethan wasn't even sure about any of it himself.

So, he made up excuses to go off alone. Benny would call, often, and almost every time Ethan would have to ignore or make up more lies. Half the time Benny called wanting to hang out, Ethan would be out in the woods, out of breath and covered in either blood or burns or pine needles. The other half he was sleeping or drawing new maps or doing research in the town history section of the library.

Ethan was so lost in thought that he didn't notice a fallen branch in his path and his dragging feet hit solid against it's side. _Clang!_

The seer exclaimed in surprise and fell forward, barely managing to catch himself before he bit the dirt. His arms felt like jello, and he groaned quietly in exhaustion before hauling himself to his feet.

'_What was that?' _He asked himself curiously. _'That almost sounded metallic.'_ He leant down for further inspection, but pulled up short when his phone rang. It startled him, and he jumped before rolling his eyes at himself and gazing down at the caller ID. Mom.

"Ugh." Ethan made a face and then answered the call. "Hey mom."

"Don't 'hey mom' me, Ethan." Sam Morgan said, already exasperated through the phone. "Where are you?"

"Just out, mom." Ethan rolled his eyes again and picked up the pace. "I woke up early and couldn't go back to sleep."

"Is everything okay?" She asked, concerned. "You're not developing insomnia, are you honey?"

"No, mom." Ethan scowled regretfully. "Nothing like that." _'I _wish_ it were something like that...'_

"Oh, okay." He could hear the doubt in her voice, and wondered if she'd thought about it before. This wasn't the first time she'd discovered him out of bed earlier than usual, and moms tended to notice weird things like that.

"Mom, I'll be home in a minute, I'm on my way."

"Okay, Ethan. There's breakfast here."

"Okay mom, byye." Ethan stressed, nearing the house.

"Okay, E...love you!"

"...Love you too, mom..."

Ethan couldn't help smiling as he jogged up the back porch steps, and came in through the back door, to change out of the filthy clothes he was in (he was supposed to be at the library after all). He changed quickly in the laundry room and stuffed his blood-stained, ripped clothes into a plastic bag he found and buried the bag at the bottom of the hamper.

"Hey." Ethan greeted as he walked in the kitchen, and sat down at the table, then murmured a thanks because his mom had already gotten him a plate of eggs and bacon (which his dad had made) with two pieces of buttered toast. It all looked good, but the sad part was, Ethan wasn't all that hungry...just tired and kind of sick and achy from all the training that morning.

"How's it going son?" His dad asked him, sipping coffee across the table and doing a crossword puzzle. "Heard you were up early this morning."

"Yeah, I woke up around seven." Ethan glanced quickly at the clock. It was nine thirty right then. "Just couldn't go back to sleep...I'm kind of tired now, actually. Can I go up to bed?"

"Now?" Ross asked, surprised. "Uh..sure, I guess, but it's Saturday. Isn't Benny coming over?"

"Uh, no." Ethan answered uncomfortably, getting up and placing his food in the microwave before pushing in his chair. "I think he said him and Grandma were doing something today."

"Oh, okay.." Ross shared a look with Sam, who was already finished with breakfast and reading a magazine.

"Be down in an hour or something." Ethan gave the best smile he could -briefly wondering where Jane was- and set up the stairs. Then came back down to discreetly grab the bag of ruined clothes from the hamper in the laundry room to bring up to his own hamper. He threw it in his own small trash bin, hiding it under some paper tray and pop cans, and grabbed some clean clothes. He assessed himself in the mirror before actually stepping into the steaming water. The changes in his body composition were small, and unnoticeable for someone who wasn't looking for it. He'd been meditating, working out, practicing fighting techniques, building both mental and physical strength. He'd grown maybe three quarters of an inch so far, his hair was a bit shaggier and shinier than usual, his skin a bit tanned and healthier, and his muscles had grown just slightly. But he'd been told that was a part of it...as he built up strength, he kept it, but that didn't necessarily mean he would grow in size. It was some weird werewolf means of camouflage.

The shower was hot, relaxing, and much needed. As he leant back to the wall and soaked in the steaming water, his thoughts drifted to the maps he'd have to go over and copy later...the dark forces whom would soon invade Whitechapel were growing stronger everyday, building up numbers. They'd come first for the artifacts, and that made it more crucial than ever to begin wearying and finding them. So far, they'd lost one...a vase of some kind, to an unknown thief. They knew of three more artifacts, a necklace. a ring, and a dagger. No details, just the type of item. There were more...a lot more, that they would have to dig deeper for, and that's why it was important to know the history of the town, and the original layouts.

This research, map making, map memorizing, and training had been occupying the better of his time for the last two weeks. This fact caused a whole bunch of problems involving school, nosy parents, and headaches. Not only that, but his illness had come back with almost renewed force.

Ethan was beginning to get tired again, all the time, and light-headed. With that came random body aches and migraines, and the strange appetite and sleeping patterns. It had been about a week since it began for the second time, and he was better at hiding it his time, but that didn't mean it wasn't upsetting or painful. But Hess were minor problems compared to the really big one that took up most of his mind.

Benny.

It always came back to his best friend...the bet friend whom he'd always trusted, and who always trusted him. Now, he was breaking that years-old promise. Everyday he neglected him, it seemed he was creating a bigger gap between them, and he couldn't stand it. Benny had been there for HIM in his times of need, and now Ethan was basically ignoring him. He missed his big goof of a best friend, even his most annoying habits, but he didn't think it was best to be around him right now, and it bothered him deeply. It was KILLING him.

Ethan sighed and washed the final suds of shampoo out of his hair, and after a few minutes of feeling the water cool, he turned it off and got out.

He was decent but still toweling off when he received Benny's text.

_'Hey E...wanna hang?'_ -Benny

The hesitant tone of the text tore at his heartstrings as Ethan ran his thumb over the keypad, wondering what to write, or if to write back at all.

In the end, he decided not to reply...if he didn't answer, Benny would text again and then call instead, and when be didn't answer his calls, Benny would call the landline. His parents would tell Benny that Ethan was sick and sleeping...and later Ethan himself would have a bunch of questions to face, but he thought it might be the best way to go. He was meeting Tasha at the library at one..

So, with a great sigh, he dragged himself into bed, with hair that wasn't totally dry and fell into a deep, exhausted, and dreamless sleep.

**X**

"So, I think I'm gonna check out this little dirt road over here.." Cody pointed it out on a map. "I have a good feeling about that. It's mostly covered in plant life now, but it was a major trade route back in the 1870's..."

"Cool." Benny replied, interested, but at the same time having other things on his mind.

"Wanna come with me?" Cody asked, and finally looking up from the table, noticed Benny's glum expression. "Or not. We can always just go the mall or something...how does Starbucks later sound? Maybe we can catch the next showing of...Rio 2."

The suggestion drew a small laugh from Benny, who set his phone aside and sighed. "I haven't even seen the first one."

"Me either." Cody grinned. "Just thought I'd ask. Maybe their playing something else."

"Slacking off again, Cody?" A sultry voice asked as a tall figure walked into the room. Tyson sauntered into the dining room and rustled through the drawers behind Cody.

"Again? I've been out of the house more than anyone!" Cody glared at something next to Benny's head. He didn't turn around. "What have you done these past few weeks?"

"Actually, I've been searching quite a lot since I got here." Tyson said, now clinking around something on the counter. "You're just none to observational ."

Cody ground his teeth together and forced a wicked smile at Benny, who was smiling at his expression. _'I don't like him.'_ Cody mouthed, and Benny grinned, shaking his head.

_'Me neither.'_ The spellmaster mouthed back. "Well, Cody, I'm gonna go practice my archery." Benny said finally, as Tyson turned around and walked out of the room.

"We still on for later?" Cody asked, now using a magnifier to study some tiny print on the edge of a yellowing map.

"Yeah, definitely." Benny smiled at the raven-haired man as he left the house, grabbing his bow and quiver from the entryway. "Just tell me when you're ready."

Stepping out into the warm air, the spellmaster wondered about the last time he'd gone outside just to spend time outdoors...probably a really long time. Probably never. But over the last couple weeks, he'd come to appreciate the general silence, and gentle noises and sensations. The wind in the trees and the ground under his feet and the sun on his skin. Benny wasn't made for being outdoors...he was a computer geek with an affinity for technology. But none of that seemed much fun anymore.

He'd spent his time practicing archery, with the bow and quiver of arrows Ethan had gotten him as one of his birthday presents. It didn't seem appropriate to be occupying his time with the gifts of someone who'd ended up ditching him, but it made him feel better all the same...like somehow, Ethan was there even if he wasn't.

It made him feel pathetic, thinking that...but the truth couldn't be avoided any longer. He missed his best friend...a lot. A whole lot, and it kind of hurt that Ethan was ignoring him.

_'I never thought I'd see the day.'_ Benny thought as he notched an arrow. _'I never thought E would ignore me like this...but is he really ignoring me? Maybe he does have a lot of stuff going on, but not answering my calls? My texts? Blowing me off like that?'_ The arrow stuck little off target. He notched another one, and it landed closer this time, but still off.

_'I wonder if I'm overreacting.'_ Benny wondered._ 'I mean, two weeks is nothing compared to six years of friendship...but a lot can change in two weeks. It doesn't feel right.'_ The spellmaster frowned. _'Is it something I did? Am I freaking him out, being all emotional lately? I guess that's kind of embarrassing, but E's my best friend...I didn't think it mattered...'_

Benny sighed. He'd texted Ethan that morning, but no answer so far, and his parents said he was sick. Something like he hadn't been sleeping well, and was maybe catching the flu, because he wasn't eating. Benny hadn't told Grandma, mainly because she hadn't been home today..she left early that morning.

_'Maybe I should just stop trying...'_ Benny thought dejectedly. _'Maybe he just needs space, and I'm being too clingy...but I can't help that I worry about him. What if he's having a relapse from the incident?'_

"Benny!" Tyson called from the window, and Benny looked up, distracted, and his arrow lodged in a tree next to the target board.

"Yeah?" Benny called.

"You're phone's been going off for about five minutes!" Tyson answered. "Cody wanted to answer it, but I'm keeping him in line."

"I'm sure you are." Benny muttered, and smiled as he imagined Cody, silently fuming at the table. "Thanks." He said as he grabbed the phone from Tyson's hand, stretched out the window.

_'Cody doesn't like him.'_ Benny thought. _'I don't really like him, but Cody seems to have real tension with him. I wonder what happened in high school?'_ He checked his messages, fully expecting the text to be from Rory.

_'Hey, B. Sorry I've been MIA and really weird lately. A lot's been going on.'_ -Ethan

Benny didn't really know how to react to the text, and that in itself made him feel stupid. So his best friend had texted him..no weird feelings should arise from that. So why did he feel weird? Like he didn't want to set himself up for disappointment?

_'Its okay. But my day is kind of full right now.'_ Benny lied.

_'Oh, okay. I gtg, call me later.'_ -Ethan

Benny sighed. What was he expecting? He didn't know...but Ethan didn't seem too upset that they couldn't hang today.

_'So why am I?'_ Benny thought almost angrily._ 'Why does that bother me so much? Why do I miss him so much?! I have other friends.'_

**X**

As Ethan walked home, all his maps and notes in tow, he thought about hitting Starbucks for a quick coffee. Because even though he's slept less than four hours ago, he was beginning to feel drained again. Tasha had reassured him that the symptoms would fade again, a little slower this time, until he completed the transformation, but if would be best if he met Katee.

It was easier to deal with the first change, if one had contact with another werewolf. The only thing was...Ethan wasn't sure if he wanted to meet another werewolf just yet.

He was sure Katee was a lovely girl. Tasha had described Katee as being a perfect lady, who couldn't have been less suspected as being a werewolf. The only thing that might've stood out and identified her wolfy nature is her personality. She was perky and blonde and just bursting with good energy. Ethan honestly thought they'd get along...but he was afraid he might freeze up in her presence. His past werewolf experiences were _not_ the best...

"Hey dad." Ethan greeted as he walked up the drive. "What are you building?"

"Oh just that dog house you're Aunt Edith has been wanting built for a couple weeks now." Ross lifted it onto a table in the storage shed. "Oh and E, a friend stopped by to see you. I hadn't seen him before, but he was real friendly. Helped me construct this complicated thing." He gestured to the dog house. "I swear, I turned my back for one minute, and when I turned back around he was half way done."

"Really?" Ethan asked, flicking through the maps one more time before stuffing them in his messenger bag. "No one told me they were coming over. Who was it?"

"Umm, I'm not sure. I don think he said. He was tall, and young, with really striking red hair." Ross said distractedly, and for a moment Ethan's heart stopped.

"What?" Ethan asked faintly, then a few seconds later. "What else did he do?"

"Went in and talked to your mom for a while. Said he and you were working on a project together and you forgot to return one of his experiments."

"Okay dad..." Ethan said, already on his way up the porch. As soon as he entered the house, he was tearing up the stairs, past his startled mom and Jane, who was giving him weird looks again.

_'He was in my room!'_ Ethan thought over and over._ 'The Cublie Animus!'_

Reaching his room and throwing the door open, he was disgusted to see the room in the exact state he left it. But Sylvan _had_ to have been snooping around...he wouldn't pass up an opportunity like this, to look around the house where he lived and slept, especially his room.

It was then he caught sight of the note lying on his bed. Folded neatly, it had his name on the front, and Ethan tore it open with a growl.

"_Greetings, Pup_" It read.

"_By now, you've probably figured out that I've been through your room, and your house..and have found the Cublie Aninus. I've also met your parents, and your sister, and as you've probably noticed, they are unharmed. They're lovely people, and I come in peace, for now. The magic box is untouched. But I have a problem._

_It concerns my darling little sister. She's gotten herself into some trouble, and if you know what's good for her, you'll meet me today in the mall, alone. I'll be at that cute little restaurant you and your best friend love so much, at the usual table. It's very public, and charming, so I won't try anything funny..or anything you don't want me to. You'll be safe, and you can even run if you like. I won't be able to stop you without drawing attention._

_I'll wait for you there from 3:00 to 4:30 and not a minute less or more. I'm an important person with places to be. Come if you care about my sister at all. Remember, she helped you once._

_-Sylvan_ "

Ethan sat for a long time after that, thinking it through, freaking out silently.

_'He was in my room.'_ Was all the seer could think._ 'He found the Cublie Animus. He has Katee...and he wants to meet me.'_

He stood up almost in a daze and walked over to his closet, moved over the junk that hid the Animus. Sure enough, there was a sticky note on top that read "_Told you so_."

So maybe his wasn't a trick. After all, why would that red monster leave such a valuable item behind, if not to gain trust? That's obviously what this was about...and if this was for real, that meant Katee really was in danger. Jason said they hadn't heard from her in a few days...and Ethan only had a half an hour to get to the mall.

_'Oh no.'_ Ethan just sat there for a while, frozen._ 'I can't do this...I can't do this...but I have to.'_

X

And so he sat at a mall bench fifteen minutes later, thinking the sane thing. The coffee shop was in sight, but he couldn't see inside. He hadn't even _seen_ his own personal monster in human form...how would he know what he looked like? Red hair? Ethan shuddered just thinking about it.

_'I can't do this.'_ The seer thought._ 'I'm too scared. What kind of werewolf am I? I can't even meet another of my kind in public...granted, this is the monster than nearly killed me..but I was even too scared to meet _Katee_, and now look what's happened. I should've met her while I had he chance...'_

But now Katee was possibly depending on him. She was in danger, and he could help...but he was too frightened to even try? How pathetic of a person would that make him? As he contemplated, his hands shook and his feet tapped nervously on the floor. He felt like running, already, just as Sylvan had said, and time was ticking. Fifteen minutes left.

_'No...'_ Ethan thought, trying to steel himself. _'She _fought_ this guy for me. Kind, gentle Katee fought her own brother for me. To save me. I have to do the same for her...and I will, no matter how terrifying. I have to. She needs me..'_

With these thoughts in mind, Ethan slowly stood, and even more slowly began the walk to the little coffee shop. The more steps he took, the more he bought he could do this. He was going to save Katee, from whatever this monster had dons to her. He needed to. If not for anything else, he had a debt to pay.

Sylvan was easy enough to pick out of the few people that were seated. The sight of him also made Ethan freeze in the entryway, and he had to physically restrain himself from bolting right there. Every fiber of his being was telling him to run.

The man's hair was the same color as the monster's fur had been, a shade of red too dark to be natural-yet it was, and piercing blue eyes that seemed to stare right through Ethan as they met his gaze. His pale skin contrasted oddly with his light blue sweater and dark jeans, and for a second Ethan was stunned with how eerie yet how complete normal he monster looked...

Sylvan pushed the chair across from him out a little with his foot, and Ethan's heart rate sped up as his feet carried him to he offered chair. For a while, they just stared at each other...or, rather Sylvan stared at him while Ethan tried to get his bearings.

_'This is the monster that bit me..'_ He thought quietly._ 'He took my normal life away just like that...and for what? Now he has Katee too.'_

"I've been waiting for you." Sylvan finally said, startling Ethan. "You're different from what I expected. I thought you'd at least be taller." Ethan didn't reply for a long time.

"Where's Katee?" Ethan finally asked. "What did you do with her?"

"Hold on." Sylvan held up a hand, still studying him with intense eyes. "Just let me take you in."

And for some reason, Ethan felt compelled to listen. So, he sat there, watching Sylvan with a kind of awed, nervous fascination that had replaced the pure fear that had gripped him earlier. Truth being told, this wasn't how Ethan expected his first meeting with the monster to go, but it was better than the alternative screaming and running. So, he let Sylvan study him for another minute.

"How are you feeling?" Sylvan asked suddenly.

"What?" Ethan asked, uncomfortable, and totally taken aback by the randomness of the question. Why did Sylvan care?

"So, not so well?" The redhead asked. "I'm wondering because you don't seem to have transitioned yet. That's not good. I should've demanded to see you sooner. You won't be of much help if we don't fix that soon."

"Fix what?" Ethan asked again, and then shook his head irritably. "Look, I'm just here because you told me..." Oh no...it was happening again, the flashes of pain and exhaustion. "You told me Katee..." Ethan made a pained noise and gripped his head, lowering it to the table, suddenly not able to concentrate on anything. White hot pain made him flinch, and he saw spots in his vision.

"Fix that." Sylvan replied calmly. "It's just gonna get worse the longer you wait."

"What are you doing?" Ethan strained, flinching back as Sylvan placed a couple fingers on his temple. "Don't touch me!"

"Quiet." Sylvan said firmly but softly, and after a few seconds, Ethan stopped struggling. The pain and foggy tiredness that had weighed him had begun to lift. And as Sylvan ran his hand down Ethan's face to settle on the side of his neck, Ethan began to feel tired again, but in a good exhausted way...like he was finally recovering from something major. Like there was some sort of drug infused with the other werewolf's skin that seeped in and relieved the pain. The discomfort was slowly fading, leaving his body Ethan sighed, closing his eyes and momentarily forgetting where he was. He leaned into Sylvan's touch willingly.

"Those idiots." He faintly heard Sylvan mutter, as he let Ethan lean into him. He even took Ethan's hand across the table, and held that, too, watching as the younger wolf relaxed lost himself in his sire's touch. "I should've came sooner...he needs me." Sylvan murmured, mostly to himself as he took in Ethan's damaged state.

"I don't need...anything. I was doing fine." Ethan argued weakly, but didn't make a move to pull away. At that moment, he found it hard to _want_ to pull away. "What did you do with Katee? Where did you take her?"

"Not me." Sylvan muttered, still concentrating. "It was someone else."

Neither of them noticed how they were being watched through a window of the coffee shop. And both were too preoccupied to notice the camera going off.

**X**

**AN: Well, guys it 2am and I'm tired as HELL. BTW, long story short, my iPad locked up, I lost all my half-finished story chappies, and lost my way of updating. So now I'm writing on my iPod, and have to upload, edit, and update at school. Sorry for any mistakes, and sorry the end was kind of sloppy. **

**And HOLY SHIT, THAT WAS MY WORST NIGHTMARE! The whole chapter was soo messed up, but I fixed it! Mostly..sorry about that. The next one should be up tomorrow or the next day. Thanks for ignoring it! That was embarrassing...hopefully it doesnt turn out that way again.**

**Review, please? xoxoxo It makes me feel better about this crap situation, and my stupid mistake. **


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13: The Confrontation

**WARNING!** This story contains homosexuality. Don't like? Don't read, I don't care.

**AN:** HOLY SHIT YOU GUYS, THAT WAS A NIGHTMARE! I never thought I would mess up that bad...but I was at school and I only had a half hour to copy, paste, reread, and edit and such and...yeah, that was terrible, especially when I was at home and had JUST discovered the mistake, and couldn't do shit about it. Woo, that was bad...Anyway, here's the next chapter! Hope you like it. I worked my ass off for you guys, so please review.

X

"I don't know what you mean." Ethan complained as Sylvan continued probing his temples and neck with warm fingers. "This isn't exactly something I'm familiar with."

"No, of course not." Sylvan said, sarcasm still fresh in his tone as he motioned for Ethan to open his eyes wider so he could examine them better. "I expected those friends of yours to at least have some sense...some idea of how to care for you, but apparently not. Turn around."

Ethan turned obediently and sighed as Sylvan's strong hands gripped first his shoulders, and ran down his spine. "You're sick, my man." Sylvan said quietly from behind him. "But you'll get better soon enough. The symptoms will stop after the first transformation." His hands ran across Ethan's sides and then over his hips, as though feeling for something under his skin. "And then we can get down to business."

"I'm not your man." Ethan grumbled, but had a hard time being mad at the man behind him. There was something clouding him that he could only describe as a sort of fog or haze, preventing him from feeling too much of anything. The bright side was that be could talk easily enough, whereas before he thought he would only freeze in fear. "And exactly what business are we talking about here?"

"Rescuing my idiot sister." Sylvan returned in a measured voice. "She got too comfortable in my territory, ENEMY territory...and now she's trapped. And within the next two days, she'll be driven to a little seaside town called Oaksville for questioning." Ethan vaguely wondered how Sylvan seemed to know so much about the whole thing.

"I've never met her, but I've heard a lot about Katee." Ethan protested. "She would never talk."

"She will." Sylvan murmured. "They'll ring it out of her with a generous amount of blood and wolfsbane if they have to." Ethan shuddered, and then groaned as Sylvan pushed against something that felt out of place. "Does that hurt?"

"Yeah." Ethan muttered, and then cried out as something seemed to move painfully in his back. "What is that?!"

"Sorry." The red-haired man apologized. "Look, this is going to go a lot faster and a lot less painfully if you're asleep." "What are you gonna do?" Ethan asked, but not finding it in himself to gather up much feelings of fear."I'm going to make you better." Sylvan replied. "Not exactly to the strength I was hoping for...but better. When you wake up, that sickness you feel will have gone."

"Why are you doing this?" Ethan asked suddenly, still facing away from the werewolf. "Hey, you almost killed me a few months ago!"

"That I did." Sylvan smiled humorlessly, and moves around Ethan until he could stare into his eyes, striking blue into warm brown. "But I didn't, and and never meant to. I tortured you, I'll admit. But please believe it was in my best intentions. Things would have turned out so much differently if your group of imbeciles wouldn't have interfered. That wasn't their call."

"But it was yours to take my life away?" Ethan asked, finally feeling some of his anger return. "Because of you, I have to lie to my family everyday! I'm losing my best friend!" He paused, the weight of his words sinking in on him more now than ever because it was the first time he'd ever said them out loud. "It's making my life hell. I'll never be normal again."

"You never were normal." Sylvan answered, and his calm tone infuriated Ethan even more. "That's why I chose you. Even if what happened that night never did, even if I wouldn't have bit you, you would still be right where you are, because you're NOT NORMAL."Sylvan continued to stare into Ethan's eyes as his words sunk in, and Ethan continued glaring until he actually allowed himself to process what the werewolf had said.

'He's right.' Ethan realized. 'I would've ended up looking for artifacts anyway...that's what Grandma and he rest are doing.' He didn't want to believe it, but it made sense. At least that part made sense. 'And if I think about it, in a weird way, he did give me a chance to be able to protect my family...but I'm still sick. Still miserable...'

"A mistake that will soon be corrected." Sylvan said, and smiled ruefully as Ethan realized what the werewolf had just done, and gasped.

"You just read my mind!" Ethan blurted, shocked, and suddenly embarrassed and angry.

"I can't read your mind, Ethan." Sylvan rolled his eyes. "However, being your sire means that we're bonded, and THAT means I'm sensitive to your emotions and individual energy. It makes it easier for me to track you and keep tabs."

"Oh...well, what about me?" Ethan asked. "Why can't I feel you?"

"You can." Sylvan answered. "You just aren't strong enough yet...notice how you aren't freaking out right now? Despite your every reason to fear and hate me?"

"I wondered about that a lot." Ethan said honestly.

"It's not just because you're brave." Sylvan said, in that quiet voice of his. "It's because I allow you to. If I wanted you to feel fear right now, believe me, you WOULD be terrified." Ethan winced, wondering of the werewolf was telling the truth or not, but also knowing there was a reason behind the strange calm surrounding him. The redhead went on. "If I wanted you to feel sad, or angry, or joyous or brave or calm then my will alone would have the desired effect." Sylvan looked Ethan in the eyes for what seems like the thousandth time, and the seer could see how earnest he was. "That night in the forest, I marked you. I claimed you, and what that means is that I own you weather you like it or not."

"You don't-" Ethan began to protest hotly.

"Oh but I do." The werewolf smiled, showing white teeth, and Ethan shuddered visibly, remembering suddenly the feeling of razor canines sunk into his flesh. "Wanna see something cool?" Sylvan asked, and placed his hand on Ethan's shoulder, where the seer felt his skin begin to burn.

"Hey!" Ethan yelled in alarm at the light but surprisingly painful touch, as the skin began to turn a dark red, and then create what resembled a hollow circular shape as it turned from red to purple to white. The sensation was like being branded with a hot iron rod and Ethan cried out in pain as the mark took shape. When the shape had stopped changing, and the burning stopped, Ethan was left speechless. What it had left behind was two silvery-white, ragged half moons, and Ethan could see where the individual teeth had sunk into his skin. It was the bite, the mark.

"The mark." Sylvan was smiling, and Ethan, however shocked, could see the pride in his eyes. "You see? There it is." He reached over, and touched the scars, and the contact with the mark sent electricity dancing across Ethan's skin. The younger werewolf shivered. "There's my proof."

"...how am I supposed to hide this?!" Ethan asked, the question being the only thing he could think to say as he recovered. "How am I supposed to cover it up?!"

"Don't." Sylvan smirked. "I like it there."

X

"Idon't believe it." Cody said, finally. "I don't, and I can't believe you guys would." He shook his head at the blonde, and then at Evelyn and Tyson and laughed humorlessly.

"Cody..." Senna struggled for words. "I don't want to believe it. I really, really don't, but this guy fits your description-"

"We don't know that." Cody said, with refusal and something like desperation lurking behind his voice. "I don't know that. You know, maybe I imagined it or something...maybe that's just a friend from school."

"Maybe." Senna said quietly, doubtfully. "But I don't think so."

"I don't believe it either." Evelyn Weir chimed in. "I would never believe it. Whatever the reason, Ethan wouldn't betray us, least of all to someone who hurt you, Cody." She smiled at he tall, raven-haired man, who smiled back thankfully.

"I can follow him."' Tyson said suddenly. "I would have, but Senna insisted on coming back before we did anything. But I have a bad feeling about this."

"Don't be ridiculous." Evelyn waved her hands dismissively, though she did feel a strange wave of anxiety wash over her as she took the pictures from the table. The pictures that showed Ethan holding the hand of a red-haired man across a table in a mall, as the man appeared to be holding him by the neck. "I'm sure it's nothing. I've known Ethan since he was little."

"So what do we do about this?" Tyson asked. "From what I hear from Benny, Ethan hasn't been around much lately-"

"Don't tell Benny." Cody shot him a look. "He's stressed enough as it is. I'm sure when Ethan comes around he'll have an explanation."

"Yeah, let's count on that." Tyson said just a bit sarcastically.

"Well, let's get going Senna." Evelyn smiled. "Best not keep Walter waiting if we plan to retrieve dragon blossoms before dinner."

"Yeah, let's get going." Senna agreed, and as Tyson walked out of the room, Senna gave Cody a look, to which he grinned.

"Play nice." She ordered and left, leaving the two men alone. Cody sighed, and dug his phone from his pocket, wondering where Benny'd gotten off to. The last he'd sen of him was before he went into the woods to he treehouse Ethan had described around a month ago. He hadn't found it, but instead came across some footprints-human, thankfully, and not huge monster tracks- and followed them for a while before they disappeared.

"Hey, wanna go somewhere?" Tyson asked suddenly from the other room.

"No thanks." Cody replied absently, scrolling through the pictures Senna had sent to him. The same pictures they had been looking at on the table just a few minutes ago. The thing that made Cody's skin crawl was that the guy really DID look like his attacker. But he hadn't been lying before...he didn't actually know if he'd been attacked. Maybe it had been a really vivid vision or something-one he'll of a vision, but it was possible. Or maybe he'd just been hit by...something.

Maybe he'd fallen and hit his head? It was possible. Yet he felt it wasn't the truth. It had seemed like a dream, but the cut on his leg hadn't been imaginary. Still, he refused to think Ethan would side with the people who would hurt his friends. Even if he and Ethan weren't so close, he thought at least, Ethan wouldn't do that to Benny or Evelyn. It just didn't seem like him. Ethan was GOOD and he felt it.

"Not even out to eat?" Tyson asked, walking into the room with a laptop case slung around his shoulder. "We can go bowling or something?"

"I just don't really feel like doing anything right now." Cody smiled but it was cold and didn't reach his eyes. 'Least of all with you.' He sneered in his mind but didn't voice his thoughts. 'Anyway, what the hell? Do I look like somebody who bowls?'

"Okay...what's up?" Tyson asked, and Cody was surprised to see him looking very sheepish when he looked up from his phone.

"What?" Cody asked. "Standing here, that's what's up." "Why are you so...snappy?" Tyson asked uncomfortably.

"Sorry I didn't notice." Cody shrugged but again, the apology was stale.

" Really." Tyson sighed. "I said I was sorry, dude."

"For what?" Cody asked incredulously. "For HIGH SCHOOL? That's old news, kid, I told you."

"Then why don't you talk to me?" Tyson asked.

"Why don't YOU quit bothering me?" Cody glared. "Seriously. It's one thing to apologize, but it's something else to be on my ass every second of the day trying to make small talk. It gets irritating after a few weeks."

"That's how I am with everyone!" Tyson objected, but Cody saw through it. Every time the sandy-haired man spoke to HIM, there seemed to be a bit more teasing in his voice than when he spoke to everyone else. There was just a hint of taunting, and Cody didn't like it. He'd left that bullshit behind when he ditched his hometown, and wasn't eager for it to come around a second time. He had enough problems as it was. "And how you treat ME isn't how you treat everyone else." Tyson went on. "If I were anyone else, you'd be chatting me up and out the door the minute I asked. But no, not me."

"Yeah." Cody smiled as he walked past Tyson to his room upstairs. Suddenly he was feeling very tired. "That's about right."

"Why?" Tyson asked. "What can I do to make up for it?"

"Nothing." Cody shrugged. "I'm not mad, Tyson, but I won't forget. You can't just make someone's life miserable and then say "Oops, my bad" and expect them to like you. Not me, in any case."

Tyson watched the raven-haired man walk up to his room, and in his felt a chest longing he hadn't in a while. When that door closed, he sighed and sat on the sofa for a long time, just thinking. He would make it up to Cody, the man who didn't deserve his bullying as a teen...and Tyson really had been horrible. He knew that...but he still made Cody a personal victim. Now, he just had to figure out how to amend for his mistakes.

X

It took a minute or two for Ethan to surface from the comforting embrace of the sire-induced slumber, and several minutes more to realize there was something...off. Opening his eyes, he knew something was definitely off. Like the fact that he could see, smell and hear everything even more clearly than he could before. Everything was so crisp and clear, and at the same time every color sort of blended...but didn't at the same time.

More startling was the fact that he had a tail.

'What the hell!?' Ethan panicked, overwhelmed by all these senses coming to him at once. His body felt too different, alarmingly so, and when he tried to jump up, he found himself scrambling on foreign limbs that seems to be both arms and legs. His alarmed exclamation came out much more animalistic than it should have, and so did the sound of surprise when Sylvan leapt down from a high treetop.

"You're awake." Sylvan smiled, with a weird gleam in his eye. "Good. You sure are a deep sleeper, kid."

"What are you talking about?' Ethan tried to ask, but it came out as something deep and guttural, and it made the teen flinch, which made Sylvan smirk. That was weird. Ethan's voice also FELT wrong, like his vocal chords were different-which he guessed they WERE, but it was strange. His whole body composition felt taken apart and pieced back together in odd ways, with new parts added on.

"It'll be new." Sylvan seemed to be making an attempt to reassure him. "But before long, you won't be able to get enough of it. Especially the strength and speed." He smiled, the gleam in his eyes getting ever more intense. "You'll LOVE the speed, pup."

"You're bigger than I thought you would be." Sylvan continued, tilting his head to the side as he circled him slowly. "It'll do you good." Something told Ethan to stay still, and so he did, as his sire examined him like a new car. "Send thoughts to me." Sylvan said suddenly. "I should be able to hear you just as clearly."

'That's disturbing.' Ethan thought, and to his displeasure, Sylvan smirked.

"Don't worry. You'll learn to create a wall soon enough." Sylvan shrugged. "Now stretch out a little. I want to see you."As odd as it was, Ethan ended up doing all he stretches Sylvan wanted, trying out new muscles that were foreign to human anatomy. When Sylvan had him do a few basic exercises, he was surprised with how much raw power there seemed to be behind these new muscles. When he ran-at a marvelous speed, he hardly made any noise, and could see exactly where he was going with each powerful stride.

"Excellent." Sylvan approved. "You'll do well in a fight, and your transformation genes are strong, as is your natural magic."

'That feeling's back again.' Ethan realized. 'It wasn't there at first, but now it is. That numbing fog thing. It must be him.' Ethan though as he watched Sylvan watch him. It occurred to him just then how much more shocked he should be, and how he just WASN'T. Sylvan was using the connection again. Sometime later, the redhead had Ethan sit down-quite differently than a wolf or a human would, and crouched in front of him in the dirt.

'This is too weird.' Ethan thought for around the tenth time, becoming distracted. 'But this is so COOL.'

"You can marvel at your new abilities later, pup." Sylvan's eyes now held something like pride. He pulled something from his pocket that looked like a thin, black piece of rope. "But for now, I need you to run a few more practices for me. Then, there's a few things you need to know about the nature of werewolves..."

X

"I don't think I understand." Ethan said dumbly as he trudged along beside Sylvan, looking rather ungraceful next to his sire. "What's going to happen after this?"

"You'll take Katee home in the car provided for you." Sylvan sighed, but at least he was being patient. "Ethan, I don't believe you need me to spell all the steps out for you. Your a smart pup."

"You don't need to spell out everything for me! I'm not stupid." Ethan blushed in spite of himself, and scowled at the feeling of his newly acquired anklet rubbing against his skin as he walked. "But...that's it? What're you going to do?"

"I'm heading home myself." Sylvan stopped suddenly, almost making Ethan run into him. "To settle in and pretend none of this ever happened."

"That's it?" Ethan couldn't deny that he was surprised. He thought the werewolf had at least planned to stick around and...what? Help him? He'd helped him already, taking his sickness away...but was he just going to leave?

"This is a one time agreement, Ethan." Sylvan turned to face him, with a slight scowl, though there was something odd in his eyes, again. "One time, because this is my sister. She's a stupid, frustrating pain in the ass who doesn't know what's good for her, but she's still my sister. Afterwards, we're still enemies, fighting on opposite sides of a coming war."

"Then why are we attacking?" Ethan asked, confused. "I mean, why are YOU? He guys who took Katee...won't they just tell the others?"

"Not if they're all dead." The redhead smiled a startling sort of grin, that made Ethan flinch. It reminded the teen just why he'd been so afraid of him before they'd met. No matter how comfortable Ethan was around him now, that didn't mean much. The feeling was forced on him. Sylvan was still the fierce, dangerous monster he'd been in the woods that night. There was a pause, as Ethan let the news sink in, trying not to feel disappointed, and then trying not to feel embarrassed as he remembered that the werewolf could feel everything be was feeling. Instead he nodded and busied himself by bending over to tie his shoelaces, which had come loose. When he was done with the left, he checked to make sure his anklet was secure-though he knew it was. He heard Sylvan sigh, and then crouch down next to him.

"You can keep that." The redhead said, surprising Ethan. It wasn't what the seer had expected him to say. "And hey." Sylvan's lips twisted into something that almost resembled a smile. "Try not to be too disappointed, pup. I'm no good to be around anyway...you know that. And besides, your illness shouldn't get any worse-I've healed you for the most part. Still, I strongly suggest spending some time with my sister." The redhead reached out and took the laces of the right shoe from Ethan's trembling fingers.

"Why?" Ethan asked with some effort. He found himself fighting to control the panic suddenly welling up in his chest. It wasn't as though he liked Sylvan...so why did he feel such anxiety at the thought of leaving him?

"She'll show you the ropes that I didn't get around to." Sylvan shrugged, pulling the laces into a tight bow. "And to answer your question, it's the sire bond, again. You're feeling anxious about leaving my side, but I'll take care of that a little later, and also rid you of your jittery nerves. It's important we don't have any screw-ups right now."

"That still creeps me out a little." Ethan said, referring to the way Sylvan always seemed to know what he was thinking. But then the teen breathe a sigh of relief when the anxiety let up a bit.

"It's alright." Sylvan shrugged. "We're not gonna be seeing much of each other for a while after today anyway. Let that bring you some comfort."

The thing was, it didn't give Ethan much comfort, and at that moment, he hated himself for taking so easily to the monster beside him. He didn't WANT to like him-which he DIDN'T, but he felt more at ease around him than he had in the past few weeks. Before that day, he'd felt the werewolf-illness stirring inside him constantly, usually dormant, but still there. Now, it was all but gone. Though, at the same time there was a weird aura coming from Sylvan...which, he guessed, was only to be expected from someone like him. He was just confused. And he knew when he and this man parted he'd feel both relieved and strangely disappointed.

'Maybe it's curiosity.' Ethan thought. 'After all, this is the first werewolf I met, AND he's my sire. That's the reason I feel all weird, it has to be. Plus, he almost killed me a few months ago...'

"It'll let up." Sylvan shrugged from next to him, and Ethan found himself blushing. "Once we separate, the bond will be lessened considerably."

"That wasn't meant for you to hear." Ethan grumbled.

"Ah well." Sylvan smiled. "I did...and it looks like our ride's here." At first, the teen didn't know what Sylvan was talking about. Then he heard it-the faint sound of an engine roaring down the highway. It must've been over a mile away, but it was clear to Ethan's werewolf ears. "Let's go." Sylvan helped him up by the arm and Ethan scowled. "Do us both a favor and try not to screw this up, pup. If we're caught, this won't look good for either of our alliances, and if we fail, there won't be another opportunity like this." He studied Ethan with his cool blue eyes.

"I get it. I'll try not to mess up." Ethan nodded, taking an anxious breath as the vehicle got closer.

"If you can't bring yourself to kill them, cripple them or knock them unconscious. Remember, there may be a few creatures that look normal, but none of them are truly human, and all of them pose a threat-especially if they manage to escape." His sire smiled at him, teeth gleaming and his eyes flashing with an odd excitement. Then they began to run.

X

**A N:** I know the werewolf descriptions were brief, but were-Ethan will be around later as well. I feel disappointed...like I could've done much better, but I've put this off long enough. I still don't know if I can update, but I may be able to with my dads tablet. Maybe. Hopefully. Reviews are love! I LOVE the reviews I've been getting, but I'd love to receive even more feedback. If you're a writer, you know how I feel.

And if you have a samsung tablet, you'll feel me even more (yeesh, so many feels) but seriously, this fucking tablet is like impossible to operate. I couldnt even highlight more than one word at a time to italicize or bold them. The arrow-bar thing would skip all over, and when I copy and pasted to a doc it bunched everything together, so I had to respace everything, and...lets just say it wasnt good.

Sorry for the rant. Sorry for the lack of Bethan. Sorry for any errors. Sorry I didnt have the will or patience to edit lines word for word. Ethans thoughts and the capitol words are supposed to be italicized and the AN's are supposed to be bold but you know how that goes.I'll fix the mistakes when I get my hands on reasonable technology. REVIEWS are the best and THANK YOU to all who have been reviewing, it means a lot and it feeks good. (x Tell me what you think and sorry again for the crappy quality.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter Fourteen: Nursing Wounds

**WARNING:** Homosexuality (gayness, slash, hotness, etc)

**AN:** BTW, about this samsung tablet-never get one. I swear, to every fucking god in existence, this bitch is FUCKING USELESS except to irritate the fuck out of you. Excuse my extreme French. Please read the chapter. Enjoy. Maybe.

X

Ethan crouched on a branch atop a tall pine, about a mile away from the approaching RV. 'Relax.' He heard Sylvan whisper to him through the deepest parts of his mind. 'Everything will go fine.'

It creeped him out, but Ethan felt himself, his mind and body go completely serene. He watched the vehicle approach calmly, and even smiled a little when he saw Sylvan dive from the treetops and land gracefully on the glossy black roof. Wasting no time, he slid in through the little square door on the long after, the vehicle took it's first swerve.

If Ethan had any uncertainties or fears of the RV crashing while he was inside, they were long forgotten. It was replaced by something like excitement, and he found that his whole body kind of vibrated with anticipation as the distance between he and the RV closed. The swerving stopped, and just as Ethan heard the crash of something being thrown through the window, he tensed and sprang from the tree.

'This is my first time doing this.' Ethan thought, adrenaline racing through him as he landed-surprisingly quietly, on the roof. The fiberglass was warm under his fingers, and so was the latch as he pulled up the door. He was dropping inside in no time at all, and found that the place...really smelled disgusting. 'Smells kind of like my cousins house on the fourth of July.' Ethan wrinkled his nose, briefly thinking of his American relatives. 'No that's not it...'He couldn't place his finger on it, though.

Not that he would've had time anyway-he heard a yell and then an angry growl as he took in his surroundings. Even as all of this happened, be couldn't help but marvel at how ridiculously huge the interior of the RV was. No way did it appear this large from the outside. 'Where is everyone?' Ethan thought, confused, even as bs took in the number of bodies ranging from vaguely human-looking to foreign creatures. He scowled. 'Sylvan made it seem like there would be like a whole army in here...' Over his train of thought, someone snarled in a garbling language and then something was flashing towards him.

'A warlock.' Ethan thought, momentarily fascinated by the red-skinned man as a blinding white light streaked past where he'd been standing not a moment ago. Where the light struck a cupboard, a hot, gooey hole was expanding as the plastic melted.

The teen felt a change overcome him. He'd just barely dodged the last attack-those lights were FAST, but now his eyes felt even sharper. The red light that flashed towards him didn't slow down, but he was quicker, launching an open palm to the warlocks chest and causing him to fly back just in time for another fiend to take his place, stepping out from behind a curtain that dripped with unusually dark blood.

"Ethan Morgan." The creature snarled, and quicker than anything Ethan had seen, it was across the small hallway and in his face, pinning him down. It was ugly, bald, with skin like worn leather and yellow eyes with teeth to match, that reeked of blood and rotten flesh. "We've been expecting you, wolfling."

"Get off me." Ethan managed to say, though the stench made him want to gag. He ignored the icy fear stabbing at his chest as best as he could."All in due time, young one." The creature said and Ethan heard a shriek from behind that curtain that divided the hallway. Something crashed.

"We're leaving-"But Ethan gave him no chance to say more as he heard a very recognizable howl, twisted in pain, and anger surged up from some foreign place deep inside him. He felt inhuman teeth elongating from his canines, and the power from earlier returning to his growled with a ferocity that wasn't completely human and sent the ugly thing flying with two strong hits to it's scarred chest before he jumped up and grasped it by the shoulders. Surprisingly, it was out of his grasp and blurring away before he could even react.

Two more abominations, smaller than he emerged from the hall just as Ethan turned to face the warlock. "Traitors!" He snarled at him as he got his bearings, pulling glass from the side of his neck. From somewhere down the surprisingly long hall, a deep roar shook the contents of the cupboards. "You will burn!" And then Ethan was dodging multicolored lights as they streaked towards him.

X

"Ah!" Benny yelped as Rory suddenly dropped down a couple more feet. "Rory! Seriously!"

"Sorry, compadre!" Rory said over the wind howling in Benny's ears. Benny grimaced.

"You running out of gas?"

"Just some minor turbulence."

The spellmaster sighed. "You're making me sick! I hate flying, especially with you."

"Do you feel that?" Rory asked and then they both screamed as they rapidly defended another ten feet, almost scraping the treetops.

"Are you kiding?!" Benny screamed, suddenly not feeling very safe in Rory's arms. "How much further is that mall you were talking about?"

"Don't you feel that?" Rory asked again, confused this time.

"Yeah I felt that!" Benny yelled, half in frustration, half in terror. His legs flailed uselessly in the air. "Dude, are you seriously running out of fly-juice?!"

"Uh..." They began to approach a speeding RV, and Benny only just caught a glimpse of a busted out window and some red and blue paint splattering and smearing the top before glancing up at his blonde friend as he let out a sound of disgust. Rory's face wrinkled up and he said, "Woah! Something stinks like the dead."

"You'd know all about that, RV."

"Dude Benny, check out_that_ RV!" It was close now, but Benny was too distracted to get a good look at it. "Intense catfight!"

"Dude!" Benny yelled, trying to get his attention. The pointy tops of the pines under them looked precariously close to the bottom of his converse.

"Hold on!" Rory yelled back, holding Benny tighter. "Something's wrong!" They soared up about twenty feet, passing the RV that still sped on the road just next to them. "Hold onto me!" Rory yelled, and in a swirl of the blue, white, and green of the trees and sky above, Benny was lying on top of Rory. Frantically, Benny caught the blonde in a fierce, death-grip hug from behind and tried not to scream as the pine-needle covered ground rushed up to meet quick and with inhuman grace-two things he never expected to accommodate the same sentence with _Rory,_ the vampire pushed off the top of one tree, propelling them to the side so he could grab onto a limb from a neighboring tree. Rory managed to grab onto the more sturdy part of the branch, where it grew from the trunk, but not before hitting a few other limbs first. One of said branches hit Benny in the face, scratching his skin and poking at his wide eyes.

"Ow!" Benny yelled and automatically let go of his friend to clutch at his face. It was a bad idea. He plummeted to the ground from their tall perch and his stomach dropped with the shock of the fall. He yelled in surprise as he lost all stability.

Then, suddenly, he wasn't falling any longer, but clutched to the chest of his friend, before the blonde landed in a crouch. Coming to an abrupt stop, Benny huffed and held onto Rory for another few, embarrassing seconds before letting go and getting his bearings.

"What was that?" Benny asked with a small strain in his voice. He panted, his heart raced with adrenaline. "Dude, what was that!? That's never happened before!""I know, man."

Rory looked a little concerned, but his face was filled mostly with amazement. "Dude, you think I actually ran out of gas?" He jumped, then, and got about thirty feet in the air before descending back to the ground. "I can't fly!" He looked at his brunet friend in a mix of surprise and accusation. "Benny, you broke me!"

"I did not break you!" Benny scowled, but his face was red with left-over adrenaline and a little embarrassment. "I didn't do anything. You've flown with me before, further than that."

"Alright." Rory's face scrunched up. "Then...what happened?"

"I don't know."

"You think you can try a spell to get me up and...flying?" Rory asked, scratching he back of his head and altogether looking a little sheepish himself. "I really don't think I can fly any further."

"Uh..." Benny shrugged. "I don't know." He pulled out his spellbook. "I think I seen something like an energy-booster before."

"Now that you mention it, I do feel kinda..." He made a face. "Weird...Cut off. Like I reached a dead-zone or something."

"Ah, here it is." Benny found it, and Rory just shook his head as though shaking the thought away. Benny pronounced a spell in rough Latin, and a spark of blue shot from his palm. But only a spark, and whereas all his other spells had shot in flashing spheres from his hand to the destination, this spark only blinked and then died out. "Huh?" The spellmaster looked at his hand in confusion.

"Try it again." Rory suggested, seemingly still trying to lift off the ground. Confused now, Benny tried again and all he got was another little spark of blue before the spell dissipated into the air.

"Okay." Benny shook out his hand and looked around nervously. "What's going on? What are we supposed to do?" He looked towards the road, just behind a line of trees. "Where are we?"

"Well, you ran out of magic, and I'm grounded." Rory deadpanned, looking down at himself in wonder before taking out his phone. "And I believe we're some odd thirty miles from home." He shrugged. "Wanna call Sarah to come get us? Or E? Doesn't he like, have his license now?"

"You really think Sarah's gonna drive all the way out here to get us?" Benny paused, looking slightly guilty about his next comment. "Or even Ethan? Besides, even if he did have his license, he probably wouldn't come anyway."

"I wonder if I can run.." Rory wondered aloud before flashing from view and then blurring back in front of the spellmaster. "Yup." The blonde looked at him expectantly. "I hope you don't mind being carried the rest of the way, cuz we're gonna miss our 3D movie if we don't move, fast." Benny groaned as he wrapped his arms around he blonde's shoulders and climbed on his back. Vaguely, he remembered another time when he was the one giving a brunet a piggyback ride through another mall.

"Great. I feel like that clumsy girl from Dusk."

"Yeah, but you're a lot taller." Rory reminded him. "And I am much cooler than Dirk Pattenson."

"It's Baddison."'

"And you claim to not like those stupid movies." Rory shook his head, and they were off in smears of bright color against the dull forest.

X

"Then-don't be afraid to just pull. Like so." Sylvan lectured as he pulled a bloody hand from the furry creatures chest, grasping a still-beating organ. Scarlett liquid that still spewed from the vessels ran down his arm in streams. "You know, the hearts and various parts of the werewolf body are very useful in spells, potions, rituals..." He trailed off, and smiled darkly at Ethan, standing across the hall. "Werewolves have very strong hearts, as you can tell." Ethan let out a long sigh, and wiped some blue liquid that passed for Ghoul blood off his face. Disgusted, he watched as Sylvan dug around for a jar before dropping the werewolf heart into the glass and sealing it with a lid.

"That's gross, dude."

"Eh. Never liked the guy anyway." Sylvan paused, offering the jar to Ethan. "Want it."

"What? No, of course not!" Ethan made a face.

"Suit yourself." Sylvan shrugged carelessly, bending over and drawing a kitchen knife from the chest of a reptilian creature. "I'll just add it to the collection."

"...Right." Ethan answered after a while, lightheaded and feeling nauseous after witnessing and partaking in what happened in the last few minutes. No longer was he pumped and ready to fight as he had been in the beginning. He was soaked in multicolored fluids, and he had several scratches across his body. Surprisingly, Sylvan had taken the worst of the injuries. "I think I'm gonna throw up. Or pass out. Or both."

"You and me both, pup." Sylvan mock-shivered. "Did you see the face on that lady-goblin."

"Ha." Ethan said and looked anywhere but at the bodies littering the floor, some of which were disintegrating into sand or vaporizing into the air. His shoes made squelching sounds wherever he stepped. "Are we done here? Where's Katee?"

Sylvan sighed. "You're done here. Katee's in the left top bunk down he hall." The redhead grasped Ethan's arm as he slipped on something pink and squishy. "Carefully, please. I did not create you to be a clumsy little thing who faints at the sight of blood."

"I'm not fainting at the sight of blood!" Ethan protested hotly, ignoring the possessive tone in his sire's voice. "I just watched you literally rip apart an entire group of monsters." The seer could feel his stomach churning and he imagined his face would be starting to turn green right about then. "I could've lived my whole without seeing this. It's disgusting."

"It was necessary." Sylvan let go and Ethan made his way over to the bunk, pushing aside the curtain and catching sight of a blonde teen. He couldn't see her face, but her hands were tied, and her feet. "Not one got away, no thanks to you. Pup, you can't be afraid to just let it go." Ethan paused, half way through untying the roped that bound Katee's hands.

"Let what go?"

"The werewolf inside you." Sylvan answered, beginning to clear the bodies out of the way. As he threw them, they made dull, thudding noises as they landed on top of one another. "It knows what's best. Letting it take over will protect you. Werewolves are ferocious and defensive by nature. We're made for fighting. All those supernatural instincts will kick in, and you would've been able to do what I just did." Sylvan shot him a look. "It's something you're going to have to learn to accept. Even as you fought, I felt your resistance." There was another thud and then a metallic _clank._

"I don't want to do this." Ethan shook his head. "Why would I want to? This is disgusting, Sylvan. It makes me sick."

"That's the human in you speaking." Thud.

"The human in me has good sense." Ethan gritted his teeth, fed up with trying to unknot the ropes, and instead hoisted himself up to tear into them with his teeth. The ropes gave more resistance than he thought they would.

"The werewolf in you has even better sense." Sylvan reminded him, and got into the drivers seat. "Did you take a good look at yourself today, pup? In those few seconds you let the beast take over, you tore into those bastards." Ethan sighed, and tried to ignore the sick sense of pride in his chest. Sucking in a breath, Ethan realized he didn't know how to comment.

Finally, he asked "Why is this RV so huge? It doesn't look nearly this big from the why do I feel so...drained?"

"The red-skinned bitch charmed it." Sylvan answered as he passed Ethan on his way to the front of the RV. "He was a warlock, but I'm sure you've already figured that out. His name was Dorin, and near the end he started drawing power from those around him. Thats why everything seemed to weaken for a few minutes." Sylvan let out a sigh as he sat in the drivers seat. "If you pay close attention, you'll notice the space becoming increasingly smaller as his spells wear off. The energy is returning to the environment."

"Because he's dead?"

"All spells and charms wear off in time, even the most powerful. But yes, I suppose the fact that he's now dead has some effect. I don't think the enchantment was very powerful to begin with." A few seconds later, Ethan felt more than heard the engine roar to life, and the last of the ropes gave way. When he was done with the ropes securing her ankles, he hopped back down and settled into the passengers seat, which was coated in green goop.

'I'm filthy anyway.' Ethan thought in disgust, looking around at the dirty, smeared dashboard and splattered windows. His gaze settled on his equally filthy sire, his hair even more colorful with the streaks of blood that ran even down his face. His sire caught him staring, and only grinned as he started to shrug off his jacket.

"Help me out of this, pup." Rolling his eyes, Ethan pulled on the sleeve of Sylvan's jacket and the older werewolf struggled out of it. When he finally peeled off the torn, bloody fabric, he flung it at Ethan, who let out a sound of disgust before throwing it into the hallway. Ethan gave the best glare he could manage before taking off his own sweater.

"What are we doing?" Ethan asked.

"I'm bringing you to your ride." Sylvan answered. "And then I'm going to drive this junker into the woods and light it up. Seriously, pup, how many times have we been over this?"

"Whatever." Ethan rolled his eyes. "Just thought I'd ask. You're unpredictable."

"It's for the greater good." The redhead shrugged. "Keeps everyone around me on their toes."

"Yeah, you're all for the greater good." Ethan snorted, watching the trees pass by. "How long you think it'll be before she wakes up?"

"Eh." Sylvan shrugged. "An hour, give or take. Not anytime soon."

"Alright." Ethan sat back, sighing.

"Look, there's the car." Sylvan pointed to a dirt road branching off the main one. Ethan could see the flash of black fiberglass in the sunlight a little way down the road. "Leave it with your friends, take it, I don't care. Do what you want."

"What am I supposed to do with a car?" Ethan gave Sylvan a strange look. In turn, Sylvan raised a superior eyebrow.

"I assume you would drive it."

"I don't even have my permit-it was revoked months ago-"

"I didn't ask for your life story, pup." Ethan huffed and stood up to grab Katee.

"I'm leaving now." Ethan replied, easing the blonde out of her bunk. "Have fun hiding the evidence."

"Have fun on the losing side." Sylvan snapped with no real heat. "When everything you know starts burning to the ground, I hope you'll finally realize how stupid your being."

"Have a nice life." Ethan left through the side door, opting to just kick it open as opposed to a quiet exit. He paused for only a second as he heard his sire's laughter behind him. The sound of his steps on the hot pavement, deafeningly loud to his sensitive ears died down as he paused to listen. Just before the RV roared past him, he heard Sylvan's obnoxiously certain voice float out through the broken door.

"This isn't good riddance yet, Ethan. You'll see."

X

**AN:** I guess it's time to upload...and YES! Team Ethan Morgan, I was actually waiting for you to read/review, is that weird? Since you like, only ever review my one-shots. Anyway, thanks to those who reviewed, it means a lot! I'd like to hear more of your thoughts about this story...you know, instead of general "Update" or "I like it" cuz seriously that's like...yeah, it somehow discourages me. I thought this was a good chapter, actually.

Well, it could've been better, but there's always that doubt. _Review,_ please.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15: An Unfortunate Turn of Events

**WARNING: **Is there a need at this point?

**AN:** So, sorry for the long-ass wait. Really. )x Sorry. Here's the next chapter, I've been working on it literally since the last chapter, but I'm just now getting back into it. Woooo. Hope you like it-god knows I have my doubts. This one's a bit longer though, almost 7,000 words, so at least there's that.

**xxxxxx**

"I hate myself so much for this." Ethan muttered, and stared out the front windows of the little car, thinking that he probably hated himself for a lot of reasons these days.

The unpleasant remnants of blood, smoke, and acid still stung the insides of his mouth and nose and his eyes were still red and bloodshot from several airborne substances he'd been attacked with. He fought back waves of nausea until much of it had been pushed away, and he was only left with a light aching in his body, then tried to relax as much as he could before setting out. After a moment of appreciating the silence and softness of the seat, he opened his door and pulled the dark green sheet from the seat next to him.

_'Thought you might need this'_ the note that had came with it said, and Ethan had crumpled it up and thrown it in the backseat with a scowl. He wasn't sure how he felt about Sylvan's sudden...kindness toward him, if that was the right word. But something made him take it for granted-as if that was the way it was supposed to be, despite everything he'd done. Something made him feel as though...Sylvan and he were supposed to be better than this. Their relationship with each other, that is. That maybe they were even supposed to be close.

The thing of it was, that Sylvan had even admitted that he wouldn't stop what he was doing-that he'd only rescued Katee because she was his sister. Ethan had no doubt that if it were anyone else-Tasha, Jason, or Benny, Sylvan wouldn't have interfered. Ethan, logically, should hate him...fear him at the very least. But for the life of him, he couldn't conjure up any strong ill-will towards the werewolf-yet another reason he couldn't stand to look at himself in the metaphorical mirror.

With a heavy heart, as though he'd just done something he shouldn't have, something terrible, Ethan got out of the car. He locked it, taking only a moment to glance at his reflection in the shiny black paint, shoved the keys deep in the pockets of his newly acquired black shorts and began unfolding the sheet.

It was thin, but somehow sticky-even though it didn't feel like it, and it clung to the vehicle like a second skin. When Ethan backed up far enough, he was surprised to see that it blended almost perfectly with the forest. It had been dark green before, hadn't it? He was sure it was green! But now, it seemed to have colored itself in with such realistic images of trees and bushes and grass...that it was almost invisible. So hard to see, that if Ethan hadn't knew it was there, he probably would've passed right over it when he looked. When he moved, the sheet rippled ever so slightly and shifted quickly to meet his line of sight.

"This is too weird." Ethan declared quietly to the empty air, but decided not to question it too much-it's not like Sylvan hadn't given him magical items before. The sheet was probably charmed. Instead of going over to feel around for the car, Ethan walked over to a tree almost directly on the left side of the car, and with a little effort and mild discomfort, extended his fingernails so he could claw a couple marks into the trunk-a mark to remember where the car was. After subtly clawing a tree on the other side of the car, land the front and back, Ethan began the short trek back to the road.

Katee had slept the entire time Ethan had driven them to the motel where Tasha and Jason were staying. Of course, they'd freaked out, and had thoroughly examined Katee's injuries while simultaneously hounding Ethan for the full story of what happened. It had taken quite a while for Ethan to explain everything and answer their questions, and even longer before he could convince them to let him drive home. They wanted every detail, about everything, which he'd given them easily enough. The license plate on the RV, the names of the demons he remembered, the direction Sylvan had been heading, and they'd wanted to search the car. Sometime during the search and re-searching process, Ethan had fell asleep. Jason remarked that it was probably both the stress of the day and the exertion that made him so tired, so early. It was dark outside when he'd finally woken.

After everything had been said and done, Katee was still sleeping-and Ethan was still exhausted, even after his long nap. If he'd felt energetic and ready for anything earlier, he definitely wasn't feeling it now. He'd almost pulled into Whitechapel when he realized what he was doing...he was bringing a mysterious car home.

So he pulled over and headed down a barely-visible dirt path into the trees...just a mile or so. And then he might've been relieved and miffed at the same time when he found the sheet, a pillow, blanket, and extra set of clothes in the trunk. And then he might've changed out of his filthy, ripped clothing, and taken another nap...just for a few hours. Maybe four hours, and now it was almost twelve in the morning.

And now he was most definitely rushing through the trees, clawing at one or two here and there so he would remember where the car was, when his self phone rang. The ringtone was loud, and it vibrated against his leg, which let alone was enough to scare him out of his skin.

"Gah!" He jumped and his steps faltered while he pulled the offensive device out of his pocket. Without looking at the caller ID, he answered and brought it up to his ear and massaged his temple with the fingers of his other hand.

"Hello?!" Ethan demanded through the pounding in his ears. Great, now he was getting a headache too.

"E?" A familiar voice asked, and Ethan immediately felt bad about the tons in which he'd answered.

"Benny." The teen stated rather than asked, and softened his voice considerably. "Sorry...what's up?"

"What's up? Do you know what time it is?" Benny's voice was laced with evident worry, some false amusement and quite a bit of anger.

"Yeah, sorry, I got caught up in something." Ethan sighed angrily at himself-he even sounded like he was lying. "I'll be home soon."

There was a pause before Benny replied. "Caught up. Whatever, E, but your parents are worrying, so it think you should call them."

During the time when Benny was talking, Ethan was steadily becoming more and more agitated-not only from the aching in his body but because he was pretty sure he had just heard a car crash somewhere down the road-the protesting squeal of tires against pavement and the crunch of metal. Right then, his sensitive ears picked up several more collisions and began hesitantly walking, then running back down the highway.

"E? Are you there?" Benny's worried voice was saying over the phone.

"Yeah, I'm here." Ethan forced out, trying to sound calm over the growing worry. "But I can't talk right now, Ben. I gotta go." He picked up speed-at a full run, now, his human tendencies took over and he began panting before he could control himself.

"E? Are you-" Benny cut off as Ethan hung up. He felt bad, but he needed to get to that car. Obviously, someone had been in the car, and they were more than likely hurt. He was only about a mile and a half away, and the closer he got, the more anxious he became. What if they were hurt beyond help? What if they died before he got there, or before he could get them to a hospital? What if it was someone he knew?

Now, less than a quarter of a mile away, Ethan could make out the silver body of a car, crunched and dented, down in the ditch by the tree line, and he sighed in relief. At least it hadn't rolled down the hill, or wasn't overturned or anything. His phone began to ring, but he quickly silenced the call and started downward.

"Hello?" He called, descending the hill rapidly, spotting someone in the drivers seat-a blonde, clutching the steering wheel. "You okay?"

"Yeah." He heard a shaky voice reply, as the girl opened her door and stepped out, shaking the hair out of her face. "Oh my god, I don't even know what happened, I..." She trailed off, turning to face him, and Ethan heard more than seen her falter. "Ethan?"

Ethan, who had been looking over her limbs and such for injury and inspecting the frame of the car, looked up in surprise at the sound of his name. Facing him was a blonde teen dressed in a pair of blue basketball shorts and a white shirt a few sizes too big. A bruise coloring a small line on her forehead was the only imperfection marring her open face, which at the moment, was displaying quite a bit of shock. Ethan felt his own eyes widen as he took in the sight of her and then began smiling himself.

"Danielle?"

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

"I don't think you could ever look creepier than you do right now." Tasha scowled. "Have you heard anything I've said in the last five minutes?"

"How could I not?" Jason scowled at her. "However creepy I may be, I need to see what's going on inside that house."

"You're still going on about this?" Tasha rolled her eyes. "I told you, Jason, it's probably just Evelyn taking extra precautions. Up until recently, nothing has gotten by that lady. I'm surprised she hasn't done it already."

"Isolation spells work both ways and you know it." Jason shook his head, straining his eyes just slightly to see through the window. The sun was hitting it in a most irritable way..."We can't see or hear what's inside, but they're also unable to watch out for themselves without a guard. I thought these people were supposed to be smart, man."

"Maybe it's only on certain rooms? We'll never know until we find out."

"I hope we never have to find out. All I'm saying is that they're sitting ducks as of right now. Ripe for the picking. Anyone could stroll along and stalk their home and they wouldn't even know."

"Kind of like what you're doing?"

"Don't stray from the subject, Tash, this is stupid. It's dangerous."

"Whatever. Ethan's not even here, and they can take care of themselves, I hope. There's a reason the Weir family has survived this long."

"Sure hope it's not dumb luck." Jason sighed and leaned back against the trunk near their perch. "Let's go back. We've been gone long enough."

"Yeah, I don't like leaving her this long, especially after all that." Tasha sighed regretfully.

"One little kidnapping and all of a sudden I'm the weak point in the group?" Came a slightly amused but mostly annoyed voice from below, and Tasha nearly fell out of the tree. Jason almost jumped out of his skin and looked down with something akin to embarrassment on his face.

"Katee!" Jason grinned nervously down at her. "We were just coming to see you, babe!"

"I'm sure you were, darling." Came the light reply from below, where Katee was standing on the large fallen oak leaves and pine needleswith a big smile on her face. "But I found something a lot more important than what's waiting for us back at the room."

"What's that, Kates?" Tasha asked, discreetly eying Katee's slim frame for any signs of pain or injury as she clambered onto Jason's back. They dropped soundlessly to the ground and Katee grinned.

"I think I found our next artifact." Her eyes glowed a bright yellowish green. "But with all the junk that's in the way, we're gonna need Ethan to help us navigate."

"Awesome, but we better start right away. Where is our were-seer anyhow?" Tasha asked, hopping off Jason's back.

"He's on his way, but he's gonna take long to get here. Said he'll be here as quick as he can." Katee replied, taking a cellphone out of her pocket and appearing to flip through a line of messages.

"Okay, but...where is he?"

**xxxxxxxxxxxxx**

It took almost no effort at all for Ethan to push Danielle's car out of the ditch while she maneuvered through the narrow spaces between the trees by turning the wheel. She'd wanted to help push, but Ethan convinced her that it would be almost nothing for him to shove the car out.

"I'm a little stronger than so look." Ethan stated quietly.

"You don't seem like the type to workout every day." The blonde commented. "Not that your scrawny or anything!" She backtracked, holding up her hands and giving him a reassuring smile. "You're not all muscles, but your not totally a beanpole. Think you might be a bit too short for that."

"Ouch." Ethan smiled, hearing the gravel crunch beneath the tires as the back of the car reached the road. His foot slipped just slightly on the grass-he could feel tiny drops of water on his skin as the air began to thicken with precipitation.

"Wait! Wait!" Danielle exclaimed all of a sudden, and jumped out of her open door, running around to the front where she put her hands on the hood next to Ethan's. "This part's really steep, and it's starting to rain."

"Yeah, kinda." Ethan agreed, withholding just a bit of his strength so as not to seem super-human. "So I'd much rather you sat in the car where you can't get run over when I accidentally slip."

"And I would much rather get run over next to you than feel your body scraping under the car." She answered and Ethan laughed.

"So, why are you over here anyway, Danielle?" Ethan asked as the car rolled safely onto the level road. He stepped back and assessed the damage to the paint and the fiberglass. "You're a long way from home."

"Yeah, but not too far. Just about four hours." She giggled at the look on Ethan's face. "I was visiting my grandparents, and I went to a water park with my cousins while I was over there, so that might explain why I'm dressed all baggy."

"It looks good on you." Ethan said, and it was true. He doubted there were many things that Danielle couldn't look good in.

"Thanks, Ethan." She smiled again-she seemed to do that a lot, and leant back against her car when it was on the level road. After a pause, she looked at him through her long blonde lashes. "You never called me."

"Huh?" Ethan asked, shaking his head, kind of dazed as he looked at her through the darkness. His muscles were still achy.

"When we first met, you said you would call me." She reminded him quietly, almost shyly. "You never did."

"Sorry." Ethan said, though he knew it wouldn't excuse his actions, but if he were being completely honest, the blonde standing in front of him hadn't crossed his mind more than once since he'd met her. "I haven't really talked to anyone lately. Not my parents, or my friends back in Whitechapel. I don't even talk to my best friend anymore."

The truth of that statement sent waves after waves of...some emotion. Sadness? It was more than that, and Ethan could definitely feel the disappointment in himself settle in his stomach. This is why he couldn't afford to think about any of this when he was out. You know, _out_. It was too sad to recall when he was trying to hold some monsters' jaws open so it couldn't bite him. Too distracting.

"Hey." Danielle said after a while, and came up to stand beside him, shaking him out of his thoughts in the process. She nudged him with her shoulder, talking gently as though she could sense that he was beating himself up. In reality, all he was doing was leaning on the slightly crunched hood of her car, feeling the heat of the machine through the silver fiberglass under the palms of his hands. "Everyone gets busy sometimes. Everyone needs their own space."

"Not like I do." Ethan found himself saying, and winced, raising his head up to look at the girl. Werewolf night vision didn't do all that much to brighten colors, but the moon that night, still peeking out behind the rainclouds, was so bright that he could see the blue of her eyes. "I mean, I really need space, Danielle. I've needed it a lot these past few months, and not just for myself, I-" He struggled for words. "It feels like if I don't, bad things will happen to the people I care about." He confessed, attempting to speak metaphorically but he could feel himself failing. "It's like I'm a monster and they're all clueless, just walking around me like I'm just any other person. Like I can't hurt them."

"You are a person, Ethan." Danielle replied insistently. "A good person, and if I know anything about you, it's that you would never intentionally hurt someone if they didn't hurt you first." She paused. "I would probably still be stuck in the ditch freaking out in the dark if you hadn't come along." Danielle gave him a strange look. "Off the subject, but what are you doing out here in the first place? You didn't drive up in a car."

"I had a car." Ethan answered, then shook his head. "No, I _have_ a car, but it's kinda way out in the woods under a tarp because my parents don't know I have one." Ethan blurted, realized he shouldn't have said so much, and had the decency to look sheepish when she laughed at him.

"_Okaay_." She grinned and Ethan couldn't help but grin back at her. "Anyway, Ethan, don't beat yourself up about this. About anything."

"Thanks." Ethan gave into the urge and hugged her. Her skin was cool from the night air and she smelled of human, chlorine, and some flowery kind of perfume that was maybe a bit much for his sensitive nose, but nice nonetheless. "You're getting cold. You should be going."

"I should. I have a lot of driving ahead of me." She sighed, hugging him back, and placed a surprising kiss on his cheek as she pulled away. "Oh, wait!" She exclaimed, just as he was about to stand up from where they'd seated themselves against her hood. "Take a picture with me! And at least let me drive you home."

"Take a picture? Out here in the dark?" Ethan asked, smiling just slightly as the rain picked up. "In the rain?"

"In the car, then." Danielle smiled, leaving no room for argument as she moved around the car to the drivers door. She climbed in. "Get in, superman. I'm taking you home."

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

"This isn't what it looks like!" Ethan held up his hands, cringing slightly as the car he'd just jumped out of drove away through the darkened streets-a streak of reflective silver against black. "Wait! Benny, can we talk about this?"

"I'd rather not, it's been a long day." Benny replied, fighting off a shiver against the cold as he walked briskly back the way he'd come, feeling stupid beyond belief. And he was pretty sure all that he was feeling showed on his face, because why else would Ethan be so insistently chasing him? It's not like he ever had before. "Go home, Ethan."

"Wait! Just let me explain-"

"I don't want to hear it, E." Benny turned around, coming face-to-face with his best friend. Trying his best not to look like he cared at all-which was a pretty hard effort, because all he really wanted was to be alone- he faced the friend he's so scarcely seen the last couple weeks. "Just go home, okay? That's what I'm doing."

"Will you please, just-" Ethan grabbed at his arm, but Benny pulled away-more of a reflex than anything else, and looked to the ground. Rain ran down his face and poured down in front of him, obscuring his vision and hearing by a little more in the dark. Even so, he could see and feel Ethan hesitate, as though he could sense just how much turmoil he was in. "Look, I know I don't exactly have the right to ask anything of you right now, but please, Benny."

Benny looked up then, for some reason really wishing Ethan would stop saying his name. The shorter teen was staring back at him with wide open eyes filled with question and...guilt?

"You have to talk to me." Ethan says, quieter now. He could never hide anything behind those eyes.

"No, I don't." Benny surprised himself by saying. Not this time.

"I know I've been a complete jerk." Ethan rushed out, running a hand through his hair, making it drip more. "I know I've been a bad excuse for a best friend, but-"

"Oh, is that what we are?" Benny interrupted, feeling his body heat even against the cold of the rain. "Because the last I heard, best friends are supposed to check in with each other every few weeks." He seen Ethan flinch, but was too far lost in all the anger and hurt and other emotions crashing through him that it didn't occur to maybe process what he was saying before he said it. "Maybe we are best friends E, but the truth of that statement gets less and less every time I think about it."

"Benny, we just need to talk this out." Ethan's voice was pleading, but there was his name again, and-

"Shut up!" Benny not-quite-yelled, but said loud enough to make Ethan jump in surprise. He was a little surprised himself, but it seemed as though after all this time -of confusion and worry and anger, following the accident- everything was coming to a boil.

"I can't deal with this!" Though he tried holding the reaction back, tears burned in his eyes and he swallowed harder than usual against the pressure suddenly assaulting his throat. Though the rain was icy, he was glad that at least one thing was working in his favor that night-he prayed Ethan couldn't see his tears through the dark and rain.

"Look, I know you've been all stressed out...and sick...but-" He cursed himself. Was his voice breaking? "I don't want to force you into anything, but you go silent for days at a time, I don't see you for a weeks, you ignore my calls, and you don't tell me anything...and that girl." He laughed, trying his best to make it a happy sound. "If she's your girlfriend, Ethan, I'm happy for-"

"Okay, okay, okay! Hold on." Ethan held up his hands and shook his head rapidly, cutting him off and Benny couldn't handle it-any of it. After all these days of near silence from Ethan, and all the stress he'd gone through that night, feeling sick with worry that Ethan might be hurt or in trouble, he just couldn't deal with it. He didn't want to.

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

"Christ, this underbrush is thick." Cody tripped over a loose root and cursed as he almost fell over into an unconventional rosebush. The thorns scratched his leg through the dark fabric of his jeans and he made a small sound of frustration.

"Quiet now." Senna murmured. Her blonde hair stuck wetly to her head and neck, as well as the plain button-up and jeans she wore. "We should be close. Can you feel anything?"

"Yeah, I can feel a lot of fucking thorns slicing through my flesh. You had to pick the harshest path for miles." Cody hissed, shedding his jacket and shoving it in his backpack in favor of his t-shirt and jeans. It allowed for much more freedom, and he questioned why he'd even brought it in the first place. "Other than that, everything's on full charge, Sen. Feels like it's somewhere dead ahead."

"_Somewhere dead ahead_?" Senna asked, and gave a little laugh. They steadily and stealthily made their way towards a large clearing area maybe a quarter-mile ahead, just barely visible through the rain and dark. The moon was beginning to peek through just a bit. "Some expedition leader you'd be...and you're a psychic. Aren't you supposed to be all in touch with nature and the like? Ask the plants to stop scratching you." She giggled-she couldn't help herself, when she looked back and found him in an entanglement of weeds and branches, all of said limbs pulling and scratching at him in one way or another.

"In touch with nature my ass." Cody replied, managing to keep a stoic face as his blonde friend helped him out of the greenery without making too much noise. "These plants have it out for me, I swear. The entire goddamn forest."

"I think you best follow me, then." Senna grinned, even as she pulled out a crossbow and turned off her small pocket-flashlight. "Say close."

Cody made a sound of disgust as he followed, head down, pulling a bag of tools and supplies he'd needed from his pack as he went. As soon as he'd again secured the pack on his shoulders, though, the sound of a scuffle ahead stopped them both dead in their tracks.

"Cody..." Senna whispered, grabbing his arm as he crept ahead slowly. "Wait."

"This can't wait." Cody insisted, moving forward despite the nervousness threatening to take over his body, stiffening his limbs. "If we have any chance at all, we need to-" He was cut off as something light in color ran just in front of him, the speed and force of the object knocking him backwards into the grass.

"What-" Senna clamped a hand over his mouth, crouching down next to him, and he batted her hand away. Face set in a near snarl, he stood straight up, suddenly feeling the air vibrate. "Do you feel that?" He whispered.

"Feel what?" Senna whispered back. "I felt that thing run in front of you. I seen it."

"Not that." Cody answered, half sure anyway that what had knocked him over had been a vampire, and then eyed the single spade and hammer he'd brought. He hadn't brought a weapon? How stupid was that? "I know we came here for something, but we need to go back."

"What? Weren't you just the one-"

"About to go rushing head first into things. That's right. But there's more now..." He looked around, grasping the spade in one hand, handing a confused Senna the hammer in his other hand. "I'm surprised you can't feel it. There's a lot of energy here, bad energy...like there are _things_ here. A lot of them."

"What do we do?" Senna asked, looking around, wanting to turn on her light but not wanting to draw attention. "We can't just leave it there, we're so close-"

"We _have_ to." Cody began pulling her away. "Maybe if it's still there tomorrow, we can come back, but there's too many-"

A thundering crack split the air around them, and they instinctively ducked. Just in time, as a lightning bolt struck just over their heads, the force of it knocking over at least a few nearby trees. But the weirdest thing wasn't the lack of thunder or even the way it seemed to strike many places at once in verging degrees of ferocity...it was that the lightning hadn't appeared to come from the sky at all. It came from the ground, just ahead.

"Come get it, freaks!" A female voice-a _human_ sounding voice yelled from what seemed like the origination of the lightning.

"Who's that?" Cody asked, more to himself than Senna and tried his best to manifest a face or image to all the energy he was feeling. Closing his eyes and trying to concentrate over the thunder and rustling, he saw many things. For the first few seconds or so, there were gruesome monsters-weird bipedal creatures, things that looked like people...and just for a moment, a pale, spiky-haired woman with just a hint of a man beside her, lit up by electricity encircling her body.

"Got her." Cody whispered. "Come on, Senna. Let's go."

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

"Benny." Ethan said after he'd shook off as much of the emotion he could to keep from being overwhelmed. It seemed just the opposite for Benny as he crouched down on the ground, becoming what would've been almost invisible if Ethan's eyes had been wholly human. For a second, Ethan thought Benny was going to sit on the wet pavement, but he just crouched there, head down. That sight alone, of his _best friend_ so vulnerable looking, so emotionally exhausted, was enough to bring down any of his own walls.

"Benny." Ethan said again, and when Benny stood up, there was so much raw confusion in his eyes for just a moment that he couldn't find any words. Benny just looked at him- scoffed, and turned around to walk away.

"Hey." Ethan followed, trying again to turn him around again, but was pushed away until he took a chance and grasped both of Benny's upper arms, preventing him from going any further. Still, Benny faced away from him, still trying to shrug him off. "I'm sorry."

"Ethan-"

"I'm sorry." Ethan said again, suddenly at a total loss for words. "Really, I..."

"Really, it's fine."

"I'm sorry." Ethan repeated, and found himself wrapping his arms around Benny's shoulders. The spellmaster wasn't struggling anymore, just standing there, too tense as Ethan folded his arms securely across Benny's chest in what he hoped would pass as an embrace.

An awkward one, maybe, but an embrace nonetheless. He wasn't exactly good or experienced with these things. So, for a few moments they just stood there, being soaked in large, icy splotches that passed as raindrops.

"I'm sorry for being gone so much and ignoring your calls." Ethan said quietly, after a long struggle for words. "I'm so sorry, for everything, for all the secrets...because we've always told each other everything, I KNOW that. It goes without being said, and I'm probably saying way more than I should, but I'm so sorry."

"We don't need to do this, E." Benny sighed, still not turning around, but slumping a little from his previously ramrod-straight stance. "We can talk about it later."

"I need to say this now." Ethan insisted, and adjusted his embrace so that Benny's back was flush against his chest, and he'd admit it...it was more than a little weird.

He and Benny were close, sure, but they'd never been...physically close. There just hadn't been the need for it, and come on. Hugging exclusively just wasn't something bros did, but he grudgingly admitted to himself that it was...nice. In fact, it might qualify as the best thing he'd experienced during the last few weeks. Benny's skin was cold against his own due to the rain and wind, and his maybe too-shaggy hair dripped onto his face, but Benny even _smelled_ nice.

There was no denying the wave of warmth that settled in his chest, if only briefly, when he felt Benny reach up to half-heartedly rest one hand over his joined arms. He felt his taller friend sigh, and then the grasp of his hand was gone, but at least all the tension had gone from his posture. Then Benny was just standing there, slumped slightly and head hung as though there was nothing he'd rather be doing than sleeping in bed and Ethan was overcome with regret all over again.

"Listen, I'll explain everything." Ethan went on, giving Benny an awkward squeeze as he parted from him, and Benny seemed to release a breath he'd been holding.

"To everyone?" Benny asked, slow to turn around, and even then he didn't exactly look Ethan in the eye. He looked kind of flustered, in fact, and when Ethan thought about it, he himself was feeling kind of...warm. Then he shook himself out of it.

"What do you mean, to everyone?" Ethan gave a confused look and Benny shrugged.

"Well, back at the house, people have been talking." Benny scowled. "Look, E, it's great that we're trying to get back together and all, but-" And no, that couldn't possibly be a blush that accompanied the wide-eyed look Benny seemed to give himself, but Ethan could've sworn he'd seen the other's cheeks tint a darker shade. Though that could've been due to the cold. "-I really think it would be good for everyone to know where you've been. You know, I've been trying my best to cover for you, but since I haven't exactly known where you were these last few weeks, it kind of makes me seem like a liar too."

"Wait." Ethan was more confused than ever now, but tried not to sound too prying. "Cover for me? What do you mean, _cover_ for me?"

"Cody was attacked, E." Benny grimaced. "And that creep Tyson has pictures of you hanging out with a guy who kind of looks like the one who Cody seen."

"Pictures?" Ethan sputtered in disbelief. Was he being stalked? How could he not have known anything about this? He hadn't been gone that long..."Why-"

"Why didn't I tell you that you had a crazy stalker following you around?" Benny almost growled. "Dude, were you really going to ask that?"

"Sorry." Ethan felt his own complexion burn in embarrassment. "We need to talk this out. I mean really talk."

"Yeah." Benny replied, but he was still kind of refusing to look at him dead-on. He didn't say anything else.

"It's cold." Ethan commented.

"You felt really warm." Benny answered, quieter than before, and smiled slightly before reaching out and shoving Ethan's shoulder lightly-a gesture almost foreign to Ethan. Benny had seldom done anything like that before-shoving him playfully-it just wasn't particularly something they did. It was almost as if they were actually having to _learn_ how to act around each other again, and it scared him. "You know, when you were being all touchy-feely." Benny went on. "But I really would like to get inside before I get hypothermia."

"Or pneumonia." Ethan smiled and started shaking off the jacket he was wearing-yet another gift from Sylvan, and he was pretty sure it was water as well as fire-proof. "Here, I don't need this."

"What?" Benny looked up from where he'd been staring at the ground and gave a little laugh. It felt good to hear it after so long, however small and half-hearted. "Nah, E, let's just get back."

"It won't hurt." Ethan repressed a shiver himself, offering Benny the jacket, and setting it around his shoulders when the taller of the two made no move to grab it. "It's a long walk back."

"Not that long." Benny pulled the jacket around his shoulders and sighed, not looking all too happy about it.

"Long enough." Ethan then gave his friend a weird look. "By the way, what were you doing out here? It's like one in the morning."

"I was at Rory's." Benny shrugged. "Fell asleep, and woke up late. Decided to go home rather than sleep through Rory's snoring all night."

"Oh."

For a minute, they just stood there, before awkwardly setting off in the lonely streets on the ten-minute walk home. It was a long while before either of them spoke.

"Benny." Ethan stated more than asked.

"Yeah."

"We're gonna be okay." Ethan said with certainty and Benny looked over at him. After a moment more of walking in the dark, he smiled ruefully.

"Yeah, E."

That night, Ethan tried to be on his best "normal" behavior, especially around Grandma, who fretted around him for a bit and flicked Benny in the head a lot less harder than she could have before she set off to bed. It was only five minutes after Benny got changed into something warm that he fell asleep, and Ethan just lied there on the floor, listening to the reassuring sounds of his best friend's breathing and heartbeat next to him. It was more comforting than he'd expected it to be...a sound that told him he could finally stretch out and relax a little after having to watch his step and look over his shoulder constantly. Despite everything he'd done, he knew Benny would always have his back, and kicked himself for not appreciating it sooner.

It almost didn't bother him that he was still awake at three in the morning, when the wave of nausea finally hit again with full force, and all that acid and blood he'd mentioned earlier came back up. He spent an hour in the bathroom just choking up more junk and attempting to scrub all the memories away in the Weir's shower. The unnatural red and black substances that came up from all the wretched coughing he did worried him only a little, because he'd had worse.

What bothered and confused him the most was the realization that came with the sun rising. Just as the sky began to lighten, and Ethan began to settle in for a few hours of sleep, he realized what had really kept him awake all night, and it wasn't just the mild comfort that surrounded him with the familiar surroundings.

He'd been listening, watching, and waiting for dawn to chase the monsters away because he'd been guarding.

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

**AN:** So, here it is, as non-miraculous as it may be, but I want _FEEDBACK_. The best gift you could ever give an author _ever_ is feedback. Anyone have any ideas? Thanks to anyone who actually reads these AN's.

As always, I'm not sure about this chapter, but I gave the plot good long consideration...in fact, I rewrote it like three times. I'm _still_ contemplating whether to put it up because I don't think it's that good, but...yeah, I will. The first ending draft for this chapter actually had to do with a whole car wreck scene which would've lead to a whole awful chain of events that wouldn't have sat well with anyone, least of all me, so I'm glad I rewrote it. I know I say this every time, but the next chapter should come a whole lot quicker. I'll try.

Review.


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